Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

446. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on the Ballymun initiative for third level education. [6804/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Ballymun Initiative for Third Level Education (BITE) was established in 1989 and is an initiative based in Trinity Comprehensive School, Ballymun, with the goal of supporting young people attending that school to have an equal opportunity to progress to Third Level education. BITE runs a number of programmes including study groups, extra tuition and support for specific subjects, and support in applying for higher education courses, access programmes and grants. It also makes available a number of scholarships and bursaries at both secondary school and higher education level. BITE is represented on several community groups and committees in the Ballymun area and has links with DCU and St Patrick's College, Drumcondra.

To date BITE has supported over 400 students to progress to further and higher education. Since 2012, 35 BITE-supported students have progressed to higher education and 51 have progressed to further education.