The Socioeconomic Equity (EQ) support programme at the University of Otago is helping to build a health workforce that fairly reflects people from all communities. The EQ programme includes group workshops on study skills, guidance from peer mentors, subject-specific academic support, one-onone course advice and pastoral support and activities. Students who attended secondary school in a low socioeconomic area are invited to take part in the EQ programme at the start of the university academic year. Comparing the first two years of the EQ programme with the previous year, a higher proportion of students from schools in low socioeconomic areas passed the Health Sciences First Year, and the proportion of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds entering health professional programmes doubled.
