Forty-one students in the South County Economic Development Council’s Optical Training program, titled I Can See My Future, graduated in early May using Southwestern College’s facility for the ceremony.
The training program started November 2018. The classes are not a part of Southwestern College’s curriculum but were held on campus and at Chula Vista’s Career Development Center.
SCEDC presented a new career-training program for Chula Vista residents, at no cost, through a grant from the Chula Vista Charitable Foundation. The classes, which required a total of 75 hours of training, started in November 2018 and finished in May 2019.
“SCEDC wants to continue to expand upon inclusive growth in the community that is advancing equitable opportunities where economic benefits, new opportunities and growth is for all,” said CEO and president of SCEDC Cindy Gompper-Graves.
The optical industry has already hired or expressed interest in conducting job interviews with graduating students.
“As a business owner in the optical industry, we struggle to find new employees with an optical background and training new employees with no optics knowledge is not very effective as it takes much longer,” wrote president and COO of American Sunglass Manufacturing Patricia Machado via a statement. “I would much rather hire someone who has taken this class before and has some knowledge of optics.
Rebecca Scott, instructor for the training, outlined the basics covered in the course: anatomy of the eye, the parts of the prescription, how to read the prescription of glasses using a manual lensometer, lens design and materials, putting the frame, lens and prescription together to fulfill patient needs, and adjusting the frame to the patient’s face, among other topics.
“Most people do not have symmetrical faces,” said Scott. “They can have asymmetrical ears that are not even, broken noses — no one is ‘even’ in terms of facial features.”
“They (the students) are given the basic skills to get them going as they progress and master the tasks,” Scott said. “Generally, they will use hand tools and heat, along with skilled bending of the frames to get it where it needs to be.”
Students will be working with frames that differ from years-gone-by and the materials may include buffalo horn or bamboo.
“We’re seeing people looking for much bolder looks, even like Elton John’s glasses,” she said. “Big, round and colorful frames are popular right now.”
Musician Elton John is noted for his flamboyant glasses.
Scott referenced businesses like National City’s Costco Lab, Kaiser, LensCrafters, and more than 300 private doctors who need employees with optical training.
“The pay range can be from $14 an hour to more than $25 an hour,” Scott said.
The optical training program was a pilot project but is in the approval stages to debut at Southwestern College.
“They were talking about the fall of 2019, but we don’t know yet,” said Scott.
The students get a certificate upon completion of the program after passing a final exam.
The program is currently unaccredited.
Other businesses or organizations that contributed to the program were: America’s Job Center of California, Augen High Definition Lenses, Center for Employment Opportunities, Pack & Bianes Vision Care Optometry, PCG Human Services, Employment Development Department, and OneSight to name a few.
