Look Local: Plymouth’s students make waves

When Plymouth optometry school, part of Plymouth University, was set up five years ago, many in the profession in south-west England hoped it would address a shortage of qualified optometrists and dispensing staff in the region. And judging by the track record of practices in Plymouth itself, the school does appear to be affecting recruitment.

Noakes Habermehl & Kerr Opticians (NHK) has established six practices in the Plymouth area. Three are in Plymouth itself: Crownhill, Stoke and Plympton, and look to recruit trainees from the optometry school. General manager of NHK Andrew Medhurst says: ‘We had three pre-registration applications from the school in Plymouth for this year and were able to take one on.