Institute of Technology Blanchardstown :: About ITB

The Role of the Access Service at ITB

The Access Service is responsible for coordinating and developing the Institute’s Access Programme and for implementing policies to ensure that access to third level education becomes a reality for students who are currently under represented at third level. The focus of the Access Service is to provide opportunities to students who traditionally might have found it difficult to access third level education, as well as to promote positive perceptions of the value of, and the enjoyment that can be gained from, education generally.

The Access Service aims to assist:

Socio-economically disadvantaged learners
Mature/Adult learners
Learners with a disability
Learners who do not have the usual Leaving Certificate qualifications but who can meet entry requirements in other ways
Learners from the travelling community

ITB's Access Officer is Adrienne Harding.

Adrienne can be contacted at 01 885 1015 or at Adrienne.Harding@itb.ie.

Our Access Service co-ordinates the below programmes:

HEAR & DARE Schemes

The Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) is an admissions scheme which offers places on reduced points and extra college support to school leavers from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

ITB is not part of the HEAR Scheme but operates its own long established access route called the REACH Programme.

DARE (Disability Access Route to Education) is an admissions scheme which offers places at reduced point to school leavers with disabilities. ITB is not part of the DARE scheme but operates its own scheme which allows us to assess our own applicants on an individual basis. Further information on the ITB scheme is available click here

REACH Access Programme - APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN

The REACH programme is an admissions scheme which offers places on ITB’s courses on reduced points, to school leavers from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

ITB has a reserved a number of places on its courses for REACH students at reduced leaving certificate points. This means that if eligible you will be considered for entry on a reduced points basis provided that your points achieved are within 90% of the points required for the ITB course you have listed on your CAO form (i.e. you are eligible to be offered a place where your points awarded fall short by less than 10% of the points required up to a maximum of 30 points) and subject to places being available.

The places are spread across all our courses and consequently a student may not be offered their first course choice, but might be offered a subsequent choice. The order of preference on the CAO application form should at all times reflect your genuine preference choice. Applicants must also meet the minimum course entry requirements to be considered for one of the reduced points places.

Who can Apply ?

REACH is open to school leavers under the age of 23 (on the 1st January 2018) who have completed an Irish Leaving Certificate or a Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) course.

In addition to meeting the minimum entry requirements for the course, REACH applicants are assessed on their financial, social and cultural status. The following are considered to assess eligibility:

Low family income
€45,790 or under (family with 4 children)
€50,325 or under (family with 5-7 children)
€54,630 or under (family with more than 8 children)
Enrolment in a DEIS School
Member of the Traveller Community

What is the Application Procedure?

Apply to CAO at www.cao.ie by 1st February 2018.
Complete the REACH application form. Forms can be downloaded by CLICKING HERE .
Attach your supporting documents. We need to access your family income so you will need to do one of the following:

Submit a P21 or Self Assessment Letter for 2016
Submit a Social Welfare Form for 2016 signed and stamped by a Social Welfare official
Submit a RP50 Notification of Redundancy or Retirement Lump Sum Letter for 2016
Submit Letter from TUSLA for Children in Care

Tick the box on the REACH form confirming you have applied for HEAR and submitted your supporting financial documentation through the CAO. You do not need to submit documents if you have already submitted to HEAR.
Hand your completed form to your Guidance Counsellor who will submit it on your behalf to ITB along with a reference from your school/college

How will my application be assessed?

Applications are assessed on the following:

The completed REACH application form with particular attention being paid to the personal statement
Total family income
Attendance at a DEIS School
The School/College reference
Leaving Certificate results, including meeting the minimum entry requirements for the relevant courses, (i.e. required number of passes, individual subject requirements), details of which are published in the institute’s prospectus and on this website.

How do I know if my application has been successful?

Applicants will be notified of whether they are eligible for the REACH Programme in late June 2018 Successful candidates will be offered a place through the CAO in August 2018.

Closing Date

Applications Now Open.

Completed applications are to be submitted by Friday 20th April 2018 at 5pm and returned to:

Adrienne Harding,

Access Officer,

ITB,

Blanchardstown Road North,

Blanchardstown,

D15 YV78

Schools Programme

One of the aims of the Access Programme has been to promote links with Primary and Second Level schools, particularly those designated as disadvantaged. Part of this remit has been to devise, in collaboration with the schools, initiatives for students who might be interested in pursuing third level education. Many of the activities are targeted at promoting awareness of the variety and nature of courses on offer as well as promoting the benefits of further education generally. The activities also have very specific aims including the following:

To help create an awares of ITB with primary & secondary level students
To allow students to participate in educational activities at ITB in a fun and non threatening environment
To inform students generally about the range and content of courses offered at ITB
To encourage students to view third level education as a desirable and attainable option
To encourage students to opt to continue their education at ITB
To enable ITB to target parents and the community generally as an Institute resource

There are many initiatives underway, some of which include:

Robotics Summer School
Science Week
Schools Taster Programme
Languages Access Programme

Robotics Summer School

ITB runs a Robotics Summer School for children from four local Primary schools - St. Phillip’s Senior National School, Mountview, Ladyswell National School, Mulhuddart, St Patrick’s Senior National School, Corduff and Scoil Mhuire Senior National School, Blakestown.

In June each year over one hundred 5th and 6th class children from the four primary schools, as well as the Blanchardstown Youth Service, participate in the summer school. The goal of the summer school is to introduce children to the exciting and challenging worlds of information technology. The children work together on building robots as well as learning how to create a Web Page and how to use Multi Media Game Building. The summer school culminates in a 'Robot Show' and 'Graduation' on the final day where the children are joined by their parents and friends.

Schools Taster Programme

ITB TASTER (Taste And See That Education Rewards) programme targets transition and 5th year students. The programme is designed to give the students an experience of attending a third level institute and expose them to the opportunities available.

The programme covers modules in a number of areas – Languages, Business, Creative Digital Media, Social Care, Engineering, Computing and Sport, each one designed to give the students a flavour of life at third level. Over 120 students from 11 schools in the surrounding areas - Dublin 15, Finglas, Cabra, Meath and Kildare attended this programme for two days.

Supports for Students with a Disability

The Access Service has a specific remit to promote opportunities at third level for learners with a disability. Specific supports have been put in place for students with a disability. Post-entry supports are provided through the Student Services Office.

Special Needs Applicants

In designing the ITB campus, we paid particular attention to access and how best to accommodate students with special needs. We encourage applications from students with special needs, regardless of any physical or sensory disability.

Applicants with special needs may be eligible to receive a reduction in points for entry to courses subject to places being available. This is our own version of the recently established Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) Scheme which we have operated for many years and allows us to assess our own applicants on an individual basis. To be considered for this special scheme, applicants must still satisfy the minimum entry and subject requirements.

The process is simple – apply through the CAO and under the Disability/Specific Learning Difficulty section tick the “yes” box to confirm you have a disability or specific learning difficulty. Then complete the Supplementary Information Form and submit your medical documents directly to the CAO. Applicants can be assured that disclosure of a disability or specific learning difficulty is required solely to enable ITB to support access to higher education. Offers of places to applicants in this category are made by the CAO in the normal way in Round 1.

Every attempt is made to facilitate students with special needs and to provide special equipment and supports where ITB budgets allow. The supports available include provision of, and training in, assistive technology, access to the Assistive Technology Centre in the library, mentoring programme and academic support. A dyslexia support specialist is currently available to ITB students.

Special arrangements can be made for students with special needs at examination time, provided sufficient notice is given. These arrangements can include the provision of a separate room to take examinations, the availability of an individual to read examination questions, the provision of additional time in which to complete your examinations, the provision of a scribe, taping your examinations etc.

Offers of places to students in this category are made by CAO in the normal way.