TUS Go4IT! programme celebrates two decades of transformational education

Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the transformational educational programme, Go4IT  in the Millennium Theatre, at TUS, Moylish is Academic Affairs and Student Services Manager Linda Barry, Access Pre-Entry Project Officer Mary Nash, Pastoral Care Coordinator, Joe Walsh, HEA PATH 3 – Access & Research Projects Officer, Stacey Getlevog, Access & Learning Support Unit Administrator Nathan O’Connor, Pre-Entry Access Co-ordinator, Anna Murphy. Pic. Brian Arthur

Go4IT programme celebrates 1,463 student-years of engagement with participants at TUS over the past 20 years

The Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) has celebrated the 20th anniversary of the transformational educational programme, Go4IT!  in the Millennium Theatre, Moylish.

The Go4IT! programme is a six-year educational initiative in Limerick, established in 2006 to support young people from 6th class through 6th year in reaching their full academic potential.

The event brought together two decades of past programme participants, families, and community partners to honour an initiative that has redefined educational access in the Mid-West.

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Since 2006, Go4IT! has evolved from a primary-to-secondary transition project into a multi-year support programme. Delivered in partnership with the Northside Family Resource Centre and local schools—including Corpus Christi Primary, Thomond Primary, and Thomond Community College—the programme has provided 1,463 student-years of engagement to date. Unlike short-term interventions, Go4IT! sustains relationships with students for an average of over 5 years, ensuring they have the tools to reach higher education.

Frances O’Connell, Vice President of Student Experience at TUS, reflected on the programme’s enduring legacy, saying, “It was a profound privilege to stand in the Millennium Theatre today and reflect on twenty years of talent, ambition, and community spirit. The Go4IT! programme is a cornerstone of our mission at TUS.

“It proves that when we invest in long-term, relationship-based support, we don’t just focus on individual lives, we strengthen the entire community who work with a common shared purpose and ambition to assure access to higher education. By engaging with students from the age of eleven through to their Leaving Certificate, we have demystified the university experience and made ‘college’ a natural next step rather than a distant dream.”

The Vice President of Student Experience added the celebrations of the success belong to the “284 young people who have walked this path” and highlighted the “tireless dedication” of its partner schools and the the Northside Family Resource Centre.

Sinéad Toomey, Principal at Thomond Primary School, said, “As a DEIS Plus school, we are proud to work in partnership with the Go4IT! programme and TUS to create meaningful opportunities for our pupils. This partnership helps our children to believe in themselves, broaden their horizons, and see that further and higher education can be part of their future. It reflects the power of schools, families, and communities working together to support every child to thrive, dream big, and reach their full potential.”

A shining example of this success is Luke Hogan, a former Go4IT participant who graduated from the initiative in 2017 and later earned his degree in Law and Taxation from TUS in 2021. A former pupil of Thomond Community College, Luke successfully completed his professional exams with the Irish Tax Institute to qualify as a tax advisor in July 2024. Today, he works from home as an Assistant Tax Manager for a Dublin-based firm.

Speaking about the profound impact the programme had on his journey, Luke shared, “I was selected to partake in the Go4IT! programme back in 6th class in 2011, the programme has since played a significant role in helping me to recognise and reach my potential all the way up to 6th year as I prepared for progression to third-level education.

“Through a variety of activities such as college taster sessions, study skills workshops, creative projects such as producing a short film and participating in radio sessions, I gained a clearer understanding of my future academic goals and the fantastic opportunities available to me. These experiences made the idea of higher education more accessible and achievable from a young age right up until the first day when I started as a student in TUS and beyond.

“Go4IT! provided me with a supportive environment where I was able to meet new people and form positive relationships with both my peers and mentors throughout the years. I have made so many valuable connections who helped make my journey to higher education possible, and I am so very grateful for them all. My experience with Go4IT! motivated me to give back what I got, and I became a student volunteer as soon as I started my studies at TUS. This further gave me an insight into the work that goes on behind the scenes to ensure the programme reaches its full potential.”  

The 20th-anniversary celebration also highlighted the program’s impressive “cumulative footprint,” noting that while the annual intake remains small to ensure quality, the model means an average of 73 students are actively supported at any given time. As the 2025/26 academic year concludes, the programme continues to offer diverse activities from STEM sessions and music production to parent engagement workshops, ensuring the next generation of Northside students is ready to “Go4IT!”.