Photo: Certificate in General Learning and Personal Development (CGLPD) students, staff and community partners with President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, Sabina Higgins and President of MIC, Professor Eugene Wall in 2022.
Mary Immaculate College (MIC) has received €626,000 in funding from the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to run a three-year pilot of a programme designed to enhance the third level education and future career opportunities of learners with intellectual disabilities.
The MIC Ability Pathways Project, which will run from September 2024 and offer 10 places, is an expansion of MIC’s current offering, the Certificate in General Learning and Personal Development (CGLPD) but including a Transitioning Programme where learners will be supported in identifying a suitable pathway to meaningful opportunities after graduation such as further education and training, or employment. The College will be among 10 institutions across Ireland to offer innovative courses in the area following a recent €10 million funding announcement from Higher Education Minister, Simon Harris TD.
Órla Slattery, MIC Inclusion Coordinator for adults with intellectual disability at MIC and Inclusive National Higher Education Forum (INHEF) Chairperson, explained how the “Path 4 Phase 2 funding initiative will enable MIC to continue our provision for students with intellectual disabilities in higher education”.
“The new MIC Pathways Ability project will be launched at MIC under this innovative Higher Education Authority (HEA) access scheme. At MIC, we have a well-established history of creating pathways to education for people with intellectual disabilities in collaboration with our community partners including the LCETB, Enable Ireland and the Brothers of Charity with whom we have the great privilege of working in partnership.”
“This significant funding allocation will now enable expansion of our current offering; building on the work of the CGLPD, but adding a crucial new dimension, specifically, the creation of individually tailored pathways for each participant to transition to further education and training and/or paid employment in their local communities. At MIC, we are eager to create real and meaningful change within the sector and in the lives of people with intellectual disability and the MIC Pathways Ability project will be the key to enabling this vision.”
Professor Eugene Wall, President of MIC, congratulated MIC staff on the successful application, commenting: “We welcome this considerable funding allocation from the Department and the recognition of the importance of programmes like the MIC Ability Pathways Project. Minister Harris refers to the need to open doors both physical and metaphorical to ensure higher education campuses across Ireland truly reflect the diversity of our communities. This echoes our ethos at MIC to embed inclusion and equal opportunity in all aspects of our work.”
“The College is immensely proud to have been providing the Certificate in General Learning and Personal Development (CGLPD) since 2010 and the difference it has made to the many graduates of the programme. MIC looks forward to delivering an enriched offering that will recognise the individuality of each student while supporting and empowering them to take the next steps towards independence in their lives.”
Karina Ryan, Access and Participation Manager at MIC, added: “We are delighted to have secured substantial funding under this competitive bid. This funding will enable MIC to provide the highest possible standard of transformative education for students with intellectual disabilities. The planned education programme aligns with national policy of improving access to higher education for individuals with intellectual disabilities. It also aligns with MIC’s mission statement and its focus on equity, diversity, and excellence in teaching, learning and research. PATH 4 (Phase 2) builds on the significant level of PATH access work currently underway in MIC and in particular, the PATH 4 (Phase 1) Universal Design Project.”
Ellen Ryan, Mairead Forde, Fiona Colton, Luke Frawley and Pamela Collins, graduates of the CGLPD programme, were included in a video screened at the launch in Dublin as part of the HEA consultation with stakeholders about PATH 4, which can be viewed at this link.
The Certificate in General Learning and Personal development (CGLPD) encompasses eight distinct modules over two years building skills such as ICT, teambuilding, communication and personal effectiveness skills as well as others like Social Studies and Citizenship and Creative Arts and Drama. It will be followed by a Transitioning Programme where learners will be supported in identifying a suitable transitioning pathway to either further education and training or employment through the implementation of Individual Education Plans (IEPs).
Pictured below (L-R): Ruth O’Keefe, Brothers of Charity in Ennis; Minister for Higher Education, Simon Harris; Orla Platten, Kevin O’Halloran and Dr Órla Slattery, MIC.
