Apprenticeships timeline
November 2019
College published a position statement on a degree apprenticeship in optometry. It highlights:
- What an optometrist degree apprenticeship in England must do.
- Why the College’s engagement in the apprenticeship’s development is essential.
- How we see the apprenticeship to support broader workforce development.
College published a Q&A to address the most commonly asked questions from members on a degree apprenticeship in optometry.
December 2019
College requested and secured an extension for submissions to the Skills for Health consultation on the optometrist degree apprenticeship standard, to ensure everyone had the chance to share their views.
We also asked for our members’ feedback on our draft response.
January 2020
College responded and published its response to the consultation on optometrist apprenticeship standard. We sent an open letter to the trailblazer group to challenge many aspects of the proposal and call for a pause to any further development until these challenges could be fully reviewed and addressed.
February 2020
College added a degree apprenticeship discussion session to the Optometry Tomorrow 2020 programme to help inform our position on apprenticeships, and to get member views on broader education and workforce development issues.
November 2021
The proposal for an apprenticeship in optometry was submitted by the Chair of trailblazer group to the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IFATE) for approval. College was disappointed that the trailblazer group submitted their proposal without consulting the sector bodies.
The College responded to the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education’s (IfATE) degree apprenticeship consultation. We identified serious failings in the characterisation of the optometric profession, optometrists’ contribution to healthcare, as well as the knowledge, skills and behaviours that would be required of apprentices to enter it.
December 2021
The trailblazer group acknowledged concerns raised by the profession around the submission of the apprenticeship standard and agreed that further development and consultation would be required before it could be progressed to consideration by the Institute for Apprenticeship Training and Education. The proposal has therefore been put on hold.
July 2024
The College hasn’t been involved or consulted since 2021. The trailblazer group met at the end of July and we expect to be included as this work progresses.
Next steps
College will review any new apprenticeship proposal as soon as it becomes available. We will ensure the trailblazer group have taken our concerns into account, and flag if they haven’t.
We will re-issue a statement once we have reviewed the new proposal and will consult our members.