RMIT’s Melbourne campus

The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, better known as RMIT University, has announced that it will close its certificate IV in optical dispensing course, ending more than half a century of training dispensing opticians (DOs). 

The number of students enrolling for the course, which has been offered by RMIT since 2003, have been low for several years, an RMIT spokesperson told Insight. They added that, “Courses and programmes are regularly reviewed to ensure they align with in-demand skills and industry needs, and some may be discontinued where there is limited student demand.” The city’s aspiring DOs can still train at the Australasian College of Optical Dispensing (ACOD). 

The timing of the course’s closure is unfortunate, since in March 2021, Australian prime minister Scott Morrison extended the government’s Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements scheme for a further 12 months. One of the country’s Covid-19 recovery initiatives, the scheme offers employers a wage subsidy of up to AU$28,000 for each employee enrolled on a qualifying training course. RMIT’s announcement is also something of a blow to New Zealand, where optometrists outside of Auckland are in short supply, according to a 2020 University of Auckland study.* 

* https://www.nzoptics.co.nz/articles/archive/lack-of-optoms-in-provinces/