As Ireland’s longest running third level access programme DCU’s access service has been opening the doors to higher education to the country’s most disadvantaged areas for over two decades. Dean van Nguyen spoke to Chief Executive Officer of the DCU Educational Trust, Patrick McDermott, about the programme, why it resonates so strongly with him, and the long-term positive effects it’s having on Irish communities. Established shortly after The National Institute for Higher Education Dublin was elevated to university status and renamed DCU in 1989, the DCU Access Programme has opened campus doors to a significant number of young people from socio-economic disadvantaged backgrounds for whom third level education would previously … Continue reading Higher Learning