Apprenticeship training course

Spectacle technician (level 3)

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Information about Spectacle technician (level 3)

Produce and repair finished, quality-assured spectacles.

• Knowledge, skills and behaviours:
  View knowledge, skills and behaviours

  Knowledge

  • Legislation, and regulated activities within the Optical working environment: data protection regulations, General Optical Council GOC, Health & Safety, industry tolerances and Safeguarding.
  • Team working principles.
  • Customer types, including personal and business to business.
  • Safe systems of work in the optical manufacturing environment, including COSHH, PPE, hazard and risk awareness, manual handling.
  • Work based safety incidents: fire evacuation, accidents, near misses, use of emergency equipment, reporting processes.
  • Order placing methods, for example online, telephone, face to face, and the components of an order.
  • Quality control Identifying, amending and recording order errors and omissions.
  • Stock and stock control systems.
  • Time management techniques: Planning, prioritising, work scheduling, workflow management.
  • Optical equipment: supplier and employer maintenance guidelines including Medical Devices Directive MDD specifications for focimeters.
  • Principles of quality management: quality standards, assurance principles and practice. Quality data recording, retaining and storage.
  • Optical engraving and marking, including engravings and markings found on safety eyewear and spectacle lenses and the impact on manufacturing and quality requirements.
  • Specialised optical products such as safety and sports eyewear, rimless mounts, prisms, mirror tints or Fresnel prisms.
  • Supplier and credit return options and guarantees.
  • The remake and reject procedures in optical product manufacturing.
  • Customer service complaints and their impact.
  • Workplace and industry training and development techniques. Managing own Continuous Professional Development CPD.
  • Optical tools and equipment used in the optical product manufacturing and repair processes.
  • How the eye works: including corrective prescriptions and visual defects.
  • The optical manufacturing sector: background, services and future trends.
  • Standard operating procedures SOP's.
  • Principles of sustainability and circular economy. Energy efficiency and reuse of materials. Recycling procedures. Efficient use of resources.
  • Continuous improvement techniques: for example Lean, and 5 S. Sort, set, shine, standardise and sustain.
  • Repair practices and techniques in optical environments.
  • Automation and digitalisation of optical manufacturing processes and its benefits.
  • Communication techniques: verbal and written.
  • Calibration tools and equipment used in the optical product manufacturing and repair processes.
  • Work instructions including optical prescriptions, manufacturer’s guidance for component parts.
  • Manufacturing optical products and component parts: lens, frames and component parts.
  • The use of tools and equipment in the manufacture, repair and remake and reject processes of optical products.
  • The spectacle technician roles and responsibilities, limits of autonomy and reporting channels.
  • Digital technology in the industry: stock management information systems, and equipment digital interfaces.
  • Bespoke optical products.
  • Internal and external teams, their function and interdependencies.

  Skills

  • Apply health and safety procedures in compliance with regulations and standards.
  • Apply team working principles.
  • Communicate with colleagues and stakeholders for example, colleagues, managers and the public – verbal, written or electronic. Use industry terminology.
  • Identify hazards and risks in the workplace: PPE, COSHH, manual handling.
  • Use tools and equipment required to manufacture optical products: lenses, frames and, component parts.
  • Identify, organise and use resources to complete tasks, with consideration for cost, quality, priority and environmental impact.
  • Calibrate and maintain optical equipment and tools to supplier guidelines and MDD specifications, such as blocker, tracer, lens curve generator, coating equipment or focimeter.
  • Apply quality assurance principles and procedures and record outcomes for completed orders.
  • Identify products, their classification and any impact on manufacturing or quality, for example engravings on safety glasses, and remarking progressives.
  • Monitor stock levels and rotate stock.
  • Collect and use data on productivity and quality to improve processes and staff training.
  • Prepare component parts for manufacturing or treatment.
  • Manufacture component parts to complete the manufacturing or treatment process.
  • Use information and digital technology. Comply with data protection, and cyber security regulations and policies.
  • Apply standard operating procedures SOPs for optical products.
  • Apply repair practices and techniques to optical products.
  • Select tools and equipment to manufacture and repair optical products.
  • Plan work sequence to support the effective use of time and resources in the manufacturing process.
  • Produce customer orders from online, telephone and face to face requests.
  • Check and calibrate tools and equipment.
  • Interpret work instructions including optical prescriptions, and manufacturer’s guidance for component parts.
  • Conducts supplier and credit process.
  • Apply safe systems of work and control measures.

  Behaviours

  • Take personal responsibility for and promote health and safety.
  • Take personal responsibility for their own sustainable working practices.
  • Act in a professional manner.
  • Support an inclusive culture.
  • Take responsibility for the quality and time management of own work.
  • Seek new ways of working, whilst committing to Continuous Professional Development CPD.
• Apprenticeship category (sector): Engineering and manufacturing
• Qualification level: 3; Equal to A level
• Course duration: 18 months
• Funding: £8,000 ; Maximum government funding for ; apprenticeship training and assessment costs.
• Job titles include:
  • Coating technician
  • Glazing technician
  • Lens manufacturing technician
  • Ophthalmic laboratory technician
  • Optical laboratory technician
  • Optical technician
  • Spectacle maker

View more information about Spectacle technician (level 3) from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.