From the Holmes Front

Graduation is one of my favourite occasions of the year. And with the safety of graduands and guests a priority, this year’s event was just as special as ever.

I’m always blown away by the challenges some students endure during their training. The past two years have been especially difficult. Some students have been working full-time, coping with all the changes brought about by the pandemic, whilst continuing with their studies.

Others have had the frustration of being furloughed, making gaining experience and time in practice complicated. This just shows the tenacity each student needed to complete their course and gain their qualification.

The Canterbury Cathedral setting for graduation is very special. Walking across the cobbled courtyard from the reception to the cathedral entrance, the structure of the building is lit magnificently with stunning architecture and gargoyles adding to the enchanting atmosphere.

On entering the cathedral, with guests sitting on one side and graduands on the other, it’s like entering Harry Potter’s great dining hall. It’s so magical and special, and certainly a moment that graduands will never forget.

For me, graduation is a time of reflection. The last three years have given the students opportunities to mature and develop. Now qualified, there are so many openings. They can choose to become a contact lens optician, an examiner or lecturer, or focus on business with support from ABDO’s management and leadership training courses.

Within practice, there are so many avenues to explore, delivering high standards of dispensing, providing patients with the spectacles most tailored to their needs, working with enhanced services with minor eye conditions service schemes, healthy living optician schemes, low vision, school screening and working with charities like Dementia Friends. Careers can be forged in many different ways.

I’d like to wish all those who graduate the very best for the future. Make use of the FBDO qualification, nurture it and you will grow. May I also take this opportunity to wish everyone the compliments of the season.

Read a news item on the graduation here; a full report will be in the January 2022 issue of Dispensing Optics.

An earlier version of this column appeared in the December 2021 issue of Dispensing Optics.