Registration opens this month for our courses
It’s time to take charge of your future and develop your career with ABDO College. Registration for all courses open 30 March.
Whether you are just starting out or a fully qualified professional looking to specialise, we have an option that will help you to flourish.
Our courses are delivered as blended learning, allowing you to apply your studies at work and earn while you learn.
You can apply online for the optical assistant and senior optical assistant courses. For the ophthalmic dispensing diploma or apprenticeship you need to register your interest. We’ll set you up on our system to create an application.
The optical assistant course is a great introduction to the fascinating world of optics, as well as an ideal way to formalise knowledge gained in practice. The senior optical assistant course helps you develop and broaden what you can offer to patients.
Both will help you go on to gain entry to ABDO fellowship dispensing courses. There are two routes to qualify as a dispensing optician. Both take three years part-time. The traditional fellowship dispensing diploma involves distance learning with support in your practice, as well as two week-long residential stays each year.
The dispensing optician apprenticeship also involves distance learning, with support from a personal coach from the College. It’s a full time apprenticeship – learners must work at least 30 hours per week in practice. There’s a combination of weekly online learning with practical tasks at work and two periods of block release each academic year for face to face learning at ABDO College in Kent.
If you are a qualified dispensing optician you can apply for our diploma in contact lens practice, a Level 6 qualification (equivalent to a batchelor’s degree) allowing you to specialise.
ABDO College is a great place to develop your career. We are recognised as a centre of excellence for optical education – the only UK college devoted solely to the teaching of the theoretical and practical aspects of ophthalmic dispensing and related specialist areas.