Community Links Programme - creating opportunity for all

The Community Links Programme

The DIT Community Links Programme is moving house! From 18 May 2012 we will be known as the DIT Access and Civic Engagement Service--Community Links and we will be located at the following address:

DIT Access and Civic Engagement Service – Community Links

Grangegorman Lower

Dublin 7

Please ring 01 402 7604 with any questions. We will be up and running in our new offices from 22 May 2012. See you there!

The Community Links Programme is made up of five very different programmes, but what they all have in common is a commitment to support communities and individuals to reach their full potential.

Our wide variety of programmes include programmes which include an access programme for second level students, a programme which works with both schools and communities to improve ICT facilities and training, a music programme for young people in Ballymun, a programme for mature students who want to go to College for the first time and a programme which supports DIT students to work with community and voluntary groups.

DIT Access Service

The DIT Access Service provides a broad range of supports to ensure that students from communities and backgrounds where there is little tradition of participation in higher education succeed in accessing and graduating from higher education.

Computer Learning in Communities

CLiC was established in 2011 and is built on 13 years of experience and knowledge gained on programmes that promoted the benefits and successful use of ICT in education.

CLiC aims to provide education via ICT to Dublin inner city communities. This will be achieved through three initiatives within the programme. CLiCcommunities, CLiCschools, CLiCmobile.

Ballymun Music Programme

We provide an entry to the wonderful world of music making.

Working in partnership with local schools we provide instrumental tuition and ensemble opportunities on site and in our new Music Room.

We provide a structure that facilitates the ongoing development of the young musician from the beginning stage through to Leaving Certificate and third level entry.

Mature Students Access Course

The Mature Student Access Course is a one year course at DIT. It is designed for Mature Students (22 years of age on the first of January of the year the course begins) from areas and communities where there is not a strong tradition of participation in third level education. Having successfully completed the one year course participants are then eligible to enter undergraduate courses at DIT.

Students Learning With Communities

The Programme was established to encourage students to practice the skills they have developed in DIT in their subject specialist area, i.e. engineering, music etc, to help community groups and organisations.

Having successfully completed this learning process, students receive course credits from DIT which form part of their overall results. Students who participate in this programme come from all faculties at DIT and work with organisations which meet the needs of local people.