A record number of over 430 students from 14 Galway secondary school schools participated in this years' NUI Galway First Year Schools Competition. The competition is part of the University Trail Access Programme designed to encourage an interest in third-level education among students in selected Secondary Schools in Galway City and County. The programme is supported by the HEA targeted funding for special initiatives. For the competition, students were asked to express through Art, Music, Drama and Writing why they believe they would like to study at university and what it would mean to their future. Ashla Ward, of NUI Galway's Access office, commented, "The Access programme is all about enabling secondary school pupils to envisage their future at third-level and to support their studies in secondary school. One of the reasons for the competition's success over the last seven years has been the commitment of the teachers. We also need to thank the NUI Galway students who have volunteered on the schools programme down through the years by meeting with secondary school pupils and encouraging them in their education choices". NUI Galway's University Trail starts with the First Year School Competition and continues in second, third, fifth and on to the Leaving Certificate year, with a series of activities such as campus tours, mentoring and Study Skills Workshops. The main objective is to promote regular interaction between the students and the University. The effectiveness of this initiative has been greatly enhanced by the ongoing support of management and staff in the participating schools. -Ends-