PRESS RELEASE: 7 October 2014

The Minister for Education, Jan O’Sullivan Launches College Awareness Week

College Awareness Week will take place from November 24th to November 30th

• Minister joined by Kerry Footballer Colm Cooper, AIB’s Youth Ambassador to launch the campaign
• Aims to celebrate benefits of going to college and support students to become ‘college ready’
• The website www.collegeaware.ie contains further information about the events

Minister for Education & Skills Jan O’Sullivan today launched College Awareness Week with the help of Shaina Hevey and Josh Swaine, students from Westland Row CBS, Dublin and Kerry footballing legend Colm Cooper.

Also at the launch were Clive Byrne (National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals), Kathleen O’Toole-Brennan (Campaign Founder, Trinity College, Dublin), Tom Boland (Higher Education Authority), Mary Sheahan (Perrigo) and Donie Wiley (AIB). College Awareness Week, which will take place from November 24th to November 30th, will highlight the benefits of going to college and support students to become ‘college ready’.

College Awareness Week is being supported by the Higher Education Authority, the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals, the Confederation of Student Services Ireland and the Trinity Access Programmes. It is a multi-organisational and collaborative event involving schools, afterschool programmes, further and higher education providers, libraries and businesses, among other stakeholders.

College Awareness Week would like to gratefully acknowledge AIB and Perrigo for sponsoring this campaign and for their dedication to the betterment of communities and Irish society, through enhanced educational experiences.

The rationale behind a College Awareness Week is simple. The campaign aims to infuse a college-going culture in all learning environments- among students, staff, families and communities.   The campaign will support students of all ages to become ‘college ready’ by raising awareness of the benefits of going to college and showcasing local role models who have attended college.

Minister O’Sullivan said: “I’m delighted to help to highlight this campaign. Making people aware of all of the options available after they leave second level is important. Going on to third level study is an ambition for many students and it’s important that they can access the information they need to make the right choices.”

Clive Byrne, Director of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals said:

“College Awareness Week is all about creating a conversation about post-secondary education plans. We not only want to encourage young people to make college a part of their future plans, but we also want to show those people, who may not normally have considered further education, that it is a viable option for them too.”

Tom Boland, Chief Executive of the Higher Education Authority said:

“College Awareness Week is a great initiative and I am particularly interested in College Awareness activities which target communities where participation in Higher Education is low.”

For more information and to register your event or activity, please visit www.collegeaware.ie