Approval

Guidance for new and existing education providers seeking approval for a new qualification.

About GOC approval

For any education provider seeking to deliver a qualification that results in students qualifying and registering with the GOC to practise as an optical professional, they must gain GOC approval first. The absence of GOC approval could result in unsafe practitioners or students being required to retake part or all of their training.

All GOC approved qualifications must demonstrate how they can meet the education standards and learning outcomes. Once approved, they will need to demonstrate this on an ongoing basis.

Any new qualifications in optometry and ophthalmic dispensing, additional supply (AS), supplementary prescribing (SP) and independent prescribing (IP) or qualifications for contact lens opticians must meet the relevant requirements:  

What are the first steps to gaining approval?

Education providers seeking to establish new optical education provision leading to a registrable qualification in optometry, ophthalmic dispensing, prescribing (Additional Supply (AS), Supplementary Prescribing (SP) and/or Independent Prescribing (IP)) or contact lens optics should submit an expression of interest (EOI) prior to submitting an application.

After submitting an EOI, a member of the Education team will reach out to schedule a one hour virtual meeting with the provider to better understand the application plans and timelines and provide appropriate guidance. It is advised that in advance of a stage 1, 2 or 3 application submission, an EOI should be submitted as early as possible to allow for appropriate resource planning and support. Details of potential processing timelines are set out further down, but typically it is recommended to allow around 18 months to complete the process.

Before submitting an EOI, please read the following sections on this page and refer to the relevant education and training requirements document. Once ready, complete the following form to the best of your knowledge. Any gaps or questions can be discussed when meeting with the Education team.

What does the approval process entail?

Following on from submitting an EOI and meeting with the GOC’s education team, the education provider should confirm that they wish to proceed with an application. When ready to do so, they will be required to submit evidence that sets out their plans and how they intend to meet our requirements. From the outset and until approval is granted, the process will consider how prepared the qualification is for each stage of progression.

Education providers seeking approval are asked to submit documentation and evidence to demonstrate how their qualification will meet our requirements. The submission will be triaged and reviewed by GOC staff and Education Visitor Panellists (EVP) against the standards which will influence when and how the application progresses along each stage. 

To ensure the process is proportionate, it is broken down into five stages. Submissions for each stage can be made either sequentially or combined, and progression is dependent on receipt of the necessary evidence and assurance relating to the stage of the process. The staged approach means that education providers can choose how they approach their application and tailor it to their own resource and capacity.

Stage 1 – This stage explores the strategic intent and details of how the education provider will design and deliver the qualification.
Stage 2 – Is more in-depth than Stage 1 and will explore the resourcing and design in more detail.
Stage 3 – A key point in the process, stage 3 assesses the readiness of the qualification and will involve a detailed scrutiny of the qualification including evidence of how it meets all of the profession specific standards. An outcome of stage 3 may be that students can commence the qualification. Due to the high-risk nature of stage 3, it is possible for this stage to be repeated until such time that the GOC has satisfied itself of the readiness of the qualification. The decision to permit the recruitment of students is made by the Chief Executive and Registrar.
Stage 4 (a, b, c, d etc.) – The focus of this stage is on the delivery and assessment of the qualification and is repeated each year until the first cohort reaches the final year of study.
Stage 5 – The final stage of the process and considers the qualification’s ability to meet all of the outcomes and standards. The outcome of stage 5 is that the qualification may be awarded approval.

How long does approval take?

There is no set timeframe dictating how long an approval can take as this can be affected by a number of factors and will therefore vary from one application to another.

Typically, education providers should allow up to 16 months from the point of submitting a Stage 1 application to when you can expect to receive a Stage 3 outcome. The timeframe is based on the submission not requiring additional input for example, a further information request or additional review by the Education Visitor Panel (EVP) and may need extending if these steps are required. It will also be dependent on the length of time it takes for you to submit documentation and each stage of the application process after receiving the outcome of the last.

Providers are unable to recruit students to the qualification until a Stage 3 outcome, granting permission to recruit to the qualification, has been received. Please note that we define ‘recruiting’ to the qualification as the point in which you enrol students onto the qualification and commence delivery.

How to apply

After an education provider has confirmed that they wish to formally begin the approval process, it will need to complete and submit a copy of the application form (APP-FRM) and submit it accompanied with the relevant supporting documentation and evidence, details of which are set out within the form. The application form guidance (APP-FRM-CG) document provides guidance on how to complete the form, understand each section and signpost you to other useful documents.

When an education provider is ready to submit their documentation, they should contact the Education team via [email protected] to liaise and agree with how and where to submit the documentation.