Mr. Paul Hannigan:

We do a lot of recruitment work in Northern Ireland, targeting different schools from which we have a track record of attracting students. We use role models who have been through the process and we organise meetings with guidance counsellors from Northern Ireland on an ongoing basis.

An easy practical matter to consider is the application deadlines. The applications for the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, UCAS, in the UK, are due before Christmas and there is a lot of work involved for students in making their applications, such as writing their personal statements and so on. Then they are straight into the CAO system in January, heading for the 1 February deadline. In many cases, that is where people decide only to do one. They might decide only to apply to UCAS, that they have done their application, are finished and will not bother with the hassle of the CAO. There is no major hassle involved but that is the perception, that it is another thing to do. That is a practical issue. It would be useful if there was some mechanism to try to facilitate both systems to ensure people could comfortably apply for both.

The overall issue is that there are well-worn paths for students who go to certain colleges. They follow the people who have gone before them. When we go into schools in Tyrone and Derry, many students will say they are facing towards Belfast, as they have always done. That is the trend that has always been there. To get them to turn around and come back in the opposite direction towards us is a bit of a challenge. We have had success where students have come and been successful, and then returned to their old schools to show the path that is available. The use of role models and people who have taken well-worn paths works quite well, but it is still small numbers.