Bill Harvey: Train, train

Some weeks ago, I mentioned how the pandemic was having a major impact upon teaching and education. My undergraduate son has become proficient at killing zombies; less so at deconstructing Chaucer. This may be a good thing.

Last night, I joined fellow assessors for a College of Optometrists webinar outlining the plans to restart the optometrist pre-registration programme. Spare a thought for the many, excellent pre-reg trainee optometrists who have worked their socks off to reach a point, in many cases, very close to full qualification. Then, only to be furloughed or, worse, made unemployed and unable to confirm if there was a post-Covid career assured. It is without any hint of sycophancy that I can confirm that the College has done an excellent job in redesigning the pre-reg programme into one that meets the new safety requirements, but also maintains the appropriate reassurance and rigour to confirm the ability of those deserving of such. I joined all my colleagues in crossing fingers in the hope that, by the end of this week, the GOC will approve the proposals and the adapted scheme can kick off.