Members of the careers in optics working group met in Manchester to finalise plans and secure funding for a pilot scheme within schools to attract youngsters to the profession.
At its meeting in September the working group reported that funding for a pilot scheme has been secured and that further funding from optometry departments and large employers would be sought. The proposed scheme is for the development of workshops to promote optometry and optics within secondary schools to stimulate youngsters to take up optics as a career. The workshops will be targeted at year groups 8, 9 and 10 among children expected to attain high grades in the sciences at A level.
Initial ideas for the 45-minute workshops are based on the message: Life doesn't have to be flat and boring...it's time to live yours in a new dimension. The interactive workshops will go on to talk about visual concepts, how light works and how people see things differently. A high-quality 3D film will then be used to try and enthuse the students to take up science and optics as a career path. Lesson plans are hoped to be completed by November 1 and the film should be completed by the middle of the month.
Later in the month pilot schemes will be started in Northumberland, East Anglia, Sussex and Kent, Dorset and Hampshire, and Devon and Cornwall. The working group will also be seeking optometrists and dispensing opticians to act as ambassadors.
The success of the campaign will be measured through questionnaires among participants and by monitoring any changes in university admissions.