Students with disabilities who are thinking about going on to third level are encouraged to apply for a scholarship from the Association for Higher Education Access and Disability (AHEAD). There are five scholarships on offer from AHEAD as part of an employment initiative.
The value of the scholarships ranges from £1,000 to £2,000 per annum. Four companies - Hewlett Packard, Motorola BV, SmithKline Beecham and Wyeth Medica Ireland are each offering a scholarship to those students with disabilities who want to pursue a third-level course.
Also Intel Ireland, which has previously offered a scholarship to a second-level student with a disability, is continuing this for the 2000/2001 academic year.
Application forms are available from AHEAD, at Newman House, 86 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2; e-mail at ahead@iol.ie, fax at (01) 47 52 387 or telephone at (01) 475 23 87.
The annual Careers' Convention at Crescent College Comprehensive in Dooradoyle, Limerick, aimed at students in the mid-west will take place on Friday, January 14th, organised by Crescent College Comprehensive. It is open to all students and parents in the region free of charge. For more details contact Michael MacMahon or Maire Murphy at the school at (061) 2296 55.
The University of Limerick will hold two open days in early January - Tuesday, 11th and Wednesday, 12th - for senior-cycle students (and teachers and parents). It's a chance to collect information and ask questions about all full-time undergraduate courses. According to Finbarr Sharkey, the admissions officer, "the 11 a.m. slot on either day is greatly overcrowded leading to a curtailment of benefit to the students coming at that time".
The college would be grateful to teachers if they could take this into account when they notify the college of their arrival time. It is wise to book in advance however queries regarding the open days can be directed to Ann Lyons at (061) 202 366 or Lonnie Costelloe at (061) 202 553.
The new Student ISIC diary, which costs £8, was launched last week in schools around the State. The diary, developed by USIT NOW to help students keep track of their social and academic schedules, includes sections with useful websites, national and international travel information, public and bank holidays, city centre maps and helplines. It's available at all students' union offices.
Young women at second-level - sit up and take note - 25 per cent of the pupils in all-girls schools leave without ever having studied a science subject, according to Dr Ed Walsh, chairman of the Irish Council for Science, Technology and Innovation. "Over 20 per cent of Ireland's second-level schools do not offer chemistry or physics at Leaving Cert." He says "gaps in science education and weakness in research represent Ireland's Achilles' heel, as it prepares for the knowledge age of high-tech product creation and e-commerce".
