ABDO College optical assistant workshop back at the NRC

October saw the return of the ABDO College optical assistant (OA) workshop to the National Resource Centre. The practical skills workshop had been on hold due to pandemic. The workshop allows OAs’ to develop their skills in spectacle repairs, adjustments and pre-screening.

Mat Stringer, NRC Operations Manager, says, “It was fantastic to see the return of ABDO College OA workshops to the NRC. The practical elements of the days complement the distanced learning and provide the OAs with practical screening, repairs and customer services as well as the opportunity to put questions to tutors and share experiences with other OAs”.

Jo Underwood, ABDO College Advisor & Founding Principal one of the lecturers says, “It was good to be involved with teaching the optical assistants at the NRC. The workshops have not been possible for some time, so it was lovely to see current students and those from previous cohorts.

“The delegates were extremely enthusiastic and willing to share their knowledge with all in the cohort, and I hope the confidence they have gained will make them even more valuable in their practices and lead to a long and happy career in optics.”

Rian Love, Courses Coordinator for Optical Support Programmes, says, “It was great to see how enthusiastic students were to attend in-person sessions post COVID. The feedback from the attendees was very positive and it is wonderful to have our high qualified facilitators back teaching in person.”

The Practical Skills Workshop is open to any optical assistant who wants to develop their skills in spectacle repairs and adjustments and pre-screening. It is suitable for those new to optics as well as OAs who want to formalise their knowledge.

Find out more about the Optical Assistant course from ABDO College here.