Fostering quality graduates through access programmes

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to argue that the quality of a Building graduate is not compromised by qualifying through the access programme route. This paper examines the statistics of the 2005 and 2006 access programme and mainstream National Diploma Building cohorts as well as the 2007 mainstream cohort. The study made use of descriptive research comprising quantitative data. The quantitative data was derived from statistics based on student performance that was downloaded from the Management Information System of the University of Johannesburg. The findings revealed that, although the access Building students enter the access programme with results below the minimum entrance requirements for the national diploma, their graduation rate is above or equal to that of their mainstream peers who gained entry directly into the national diploma. Furthermore, many of these students register for post-graduate studies once they start working. This study confirms that students who have received additional support in their first year of study and who have been 'enculturated' into the 'ways of doing' of construction and engineering during a four-year access diploma programme are not inferior to students who have completed a mainstream diploma in 3 years.