Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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402. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of her Department's engagement with the college for every student scheme in 2015; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2001/16]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The College for Every Student (CFES) scheme is run by Trinity College Dublin (TCD) through its Trinity Access 21 (TA21) initiative. The aim of the scheme is to address educational disadvantage and to develop and disseminate innovative education models. TA21 was established in 2014 with support from Google Ireland. The scheme mainly focuses on students in second level schools that are targeted by the social inclusion measures of the Department through the DEIS Programme. The objective of CFES is to increase student's college and career aspirations through participation in three core practices which are: mentoring; leadership through service; and pathways to college. The CFES model that has been adapted from the USA to the Irish context and is based on a strong evidence base in the US showing a 90% college progression rate for participating students.

One of the objectives of the new National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education 2015-2019 is that the HEA support the dissemination of best practice in the provision of mentoring programmes for students in second level. In 2015 the HEA allocated €4,795 to support a symposium by TA21 to share the practices developed through CFES with a wider group of stakeholders, including those from other higher education institutions and second level schools.