HEA identifies importance of mature students

'Age is no barrier to participation in higher education,' according to the Chief Executive of the Higher Education Authority (HEA), Mr. Tom Boland. Speaking during the AONTAS Adult Learners’ Festival (February 2nd – February 6th), Mr. Boland said that encouraging adult participation in higher education should be an important component in the strategy for economic renewal.

'This is precisely the right opportunity to begin planning for better times ahead. Higher education provides a unique opportunity for mature entrants to develop new skills and competencies; encouraging personal development and improving long-term employment prospects. Institutions also benefit from the skills and life experience that mature students bring to them.'

Many institutions offer a range of services to support mature entrants in their transition from home or the workplace into Higher Education. These initiatives include mature student summer schools, foundation courses and introductory programmes. Institutions increasingly offer a range of modules, tutorials and outreach courses to help mature entrants adjust to college life. 

Encouraging mature student participation in higher education is the cornerstone of the HEA’s strategy to encourage lifelong learning, and the HEA has set a target that mature students should make up 20 per cent of full-time entrants to higher education by 2013. 

Mr. Boland pointed out that while mature student entry remains low by international standards; considerable progress has been made in the last decade.  Numbers of mature entries have increased significantly from less than 2 per cent of full-time entrants in 1986, to 11 per cent in 2007. In the 2007/2008 academic year, 7,515 mature students entered higher education, which is 19 per cent of the total number of new entrants to both full and part-time programmes of study. Interestingly, the vast majority (82 per cent) of part-time entries to higher education in 07/08 were mature applicants; indicative of the vital role that part-time education plays in the lifelong learning agenda.