With 2,500 full-time students, the Institute of Technology Tallaght is reaching out to communities in south Dublin with no history of third-level education, writes Aine Kerr.

The foothills of the Dublin mountains are an unlikely place to find a minature version of Silicon Valley. But the Institute of Technology Tallaght (ITT) is making waves, not just with its computer skills but by forging strong links with the local community and business.

Initially, ITT - which was set up in 1992 - had struggled to address low participation rates in disadvantaged communities. Today, approximately 40 per cent of students in ITT are drawn from parts of Dublin where participation is traditionally low and the institute boasts one of the best graduate employment rates in the country.

The proximity of the Luas service has boosted the profile and accessibility of the institute, while also attracting commuters who strive to avoid city traffic.

In 2001, the Clancy Report found dramatically low rates of admission to higher education in certain areas of south Dublin. Poor third-level participation ranged from Tallaght (26 per cent), Clondalkin (13 per cent) to Ballyfermot-Chapelizod (7 per cent), compared with areas such as Foxrock and Rathmines which had rates of more than 70 per cent.

In an effort to enhance participation in some of the most disadvantaged areas surrounding Tallaght, the institute established a "link" schools programme in six schools.

Crucially, the institute has employed special initiatives to ensure financial problems do not impinge on a student's decision to attend third level. Academic and personal support to these students ranges from the provision of reduced fees, free textbooks and laptop computer loans to extra tuition and peer mentoring.

What began as an institute with 500 students has expanded into a learning base with 2,500 full-time students. In developing its research unit, the ITT receives upwards of €3 million in research funding annually for its thriving postgraduate research section.

The institute's renowned industrial reputation is grounded in three areas - science, engineering, and business and humanities - with courses ranging from higher certificates to doctorate degrees.

A childcare course is one area the institute is actively trying to develop alongside popular courses such as marketing and audio visual media, which has a points range of 345 to 505.

Now under the Government's recent announcement of a €1.2 billion investment in the third-level sector, ITT has been granted funding for an engineering building, a catering and tourism building, infrastructural development works and, most importantly, a multipurpose centre for students.

Such is the scale of the proposed infrastructure that the institute envisages increasing its full-time students to 3,500 and part-time students to 2,000 in the immediate future.

The unprecedented bonus to the sector will produce further changes and developments in institutes of technology (IoTs). Part of ITT's mission strategy is to look at the changes in the market, respond to the demands and never stand still.

"To date, the sector has been changing in the specifics, not the generality," explains Tim Creedon, director of ITT.

He points to working directly with companies such as Wyeth and Intel as soon as skill shortages have arisen. "Often we sit down and look at the areas where there are skills demands and develop a solution to meeting a company's needs." Compared with the 1990s when graduates of the institute travelled to Southampton to find employment opportunities, they can instead rely on local businesses in Tallaght.

As interdependence between industry and the IoT sector has evolved, institutes such as Tallaght have also begun to concentrate on the humanities, part-time courses and postgraduate studies.

"Traditionally, IoTs and the humanities have been very career focused. Here we offer courses such as audio-visual media - and European studies, which is 50 per cent language and 50 per cent politics."

The national and international problem of making science more attractive and appealing to students is shared by ITT.

"What students are lacking is a peer example, some sort of peer value when it comes to science and being a scientist. They have an image of accountants, lawyers and doctors, but they are not seeing that peer example of a scientist in Irish society."

What is common to many students, however, is their decision to work part-time.

"The challenges are the same for all students because their part-time work may clash with their course studies. There is a huge and constant demand to work. It is a lifestyle challenge that is relevant to all students and not particular students."

As the drive to become a knowledge-based society becomes increasingly publicised and competitive, Creedon contends that what awaits the IoT sector are not continued difficulties but new challenges.

ITT is confident about its future prospects and challenges, pointing to one marketing tool to justify its positive outlook - its current students and its graduates.

History: IT Tallaght was established in 1992 under the aegis of County Dublin Vocational Educational Committee. Since January 1993 the institute has been an independent third level institution under the Regional Technical Institutes Act.

Director: Dr Tim Creedon has been director of the institute since 2004. He began his career as a lecturer in biochemistry at Waterford IT and then spent 15 years as head of biology and deputy director of the National Forensic Science Laboratory. In 1991, he joined IT Tallaght as head of the school of science.

Student numbers: The institute caters for a total student population of 3,700.

Faculties: The range of courses offered by the institute is provided within the framework of three schools: the school of business and humanities, the school of engineering and the school of science.

Courses: For a full list of part-time, undergraduate and postgraduate courses, contact ITT for a prospectus or see www.it-tallaght.ie.