SPOKE: Sector Partnership for Optical Knowledge and Education

All current providers now offer a master’s degree that integrates at least 48 weeks of patient-facing learning.

As of Summer 2026, there were fifteen fully approved providers across the UK, plus two advertising on UCAS whilst undergoing GOC provider approval. Of these, all but three are integrating the College of Optometrists’ Clinical Learning in Practice (CLiP) programme, which facilitates recruitment of students by practices from across the UK, delivers forty-four of the required forty-eight weeks of experience, and assesses the majority of the final outcomes required for qualification. The University of Manchester delivers the entirety of its MSci Optometry, building on its experience as the only provider other than the College approved to deliver GOC Stage 2 of optometry qualifications under the previous “Handbook” route. Finally, the Scottish Government has funded PSD Scotland (previously NES) to deliver a “Foundation Training Year” (FTY) integrated into the courses provided by Glasgow Caledonian University and the University of the Highlands and Islands. Scottish courses will also include IP specialist qualifications as part of the five-year route.

As of Summer 2026, Level 6/10 (bachelor’s degree level) ophthalmic dispensing qualifications are in approval for delivery in both apprenticeship and degree formats. Four providers and associated centres are offering ETR routes to qualify as a dispensing optician. Two of these are currently registered with Skills England to offer the qualification as an apprenticeship. All ophthalmic dispensing qualifications support the integration of 48 weeks of patient-facing learning.

As of Summer 2026, ABDO are the only active provider of this specialist course, which is undertaken whilst working in practice. Since the qualification falls within the scope of practice of optometrists, most learners have ready access to suitably qualified supervisors for their 225 hours of experience.

As of Summer 2026, there are six providers of IP qualifications, two of whom have started delivery of their ETR courses. Again, the GOC’s shift to a single provider model has significantly impacted course design, although the most notable change is the removal of a requirement for an ophthalmologist to oversee the clinical educational experience, enabled by a change in the law in 2019. Instead, the requirements for supervision and qualification are now largely aligned with non-medical prescribing in other professions – following the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s “Designated Prescribing Practitioner” (DPP) competency framework. A notable exception is that the GOC does not stipulate, in terms of years, the amount of experience required to undertake the DPP role. Equally, the RPS framework does not foresee experience taking place across multiple settings, with a distinction between “task supervisors” whose primary role is patient safety, and the full DPP role which encompasses education.

As of Summer 2026, optometry IP placement experience typically remains learner sourced and is frequently obtained via hospital eye services, often at a cost to the learner. Devolved nations provision in this area is better supported than in England, as a consequence of government initiatives to deliver enhanced community services (thereby increasing the opportunities for learning in “Teach and Treat” or similar settings) and also to support the associated educational experience. It is of note that Scotland has extended this to fund Public Service Delivery (PSD) Scotland (previously NES) to support and deliver IP experience as part of the new undergraduate degrees.