The Australasian College of Optical Dispensing (ACOD) will next year offer Certificate IV in Optical Dispensing HLT47815 workshops throughout Australia, with face-to-face sessions now planned for every Australian capital city except Darwin.
As well as the current workshops on offer in Sydney, Hobart, Canberra, Perth and Auckland, in 2020 face-to-face ACOD sessions are planned for Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide, pending student numbers.
According to Mr James Gibbins, director and co-founder of ACOD, interest rains high in regionally delivered dispensing training with a student-focussed model. Also, local state subsidies are increasing student numbers while also decreasing both the time out of store and the costs of training.
ACOD offers the Certificate IV in Optical Dispensing HLT47815 course predominantly online, but training is reinforced by several workshops throughout the year. Students also undertake at least 100 hours of work experience in a retail optical dispensary with the support of a workplace supervisor.
The announcement follows the success this year of ACOD’s partnership with the University of Canberra to offer the first locally facilitated dispensing workshops for students ployed in the capital city and its surrounding areas. The local training addressed the frustrations of Canberra-based students, who were forced to travel to Sydney or further to attend workshops.
