As by Optometry Australia’s 2025 workforce projections highlight the importance of planning for Australia’s future eye care workforce, it’s also a timely reminder that successful practices depend on more than optometrists alone. Exceptional patient care relies on skilled receptionists, knowledgeable optical dispensers and capable practice managers who keep the business running efficiently every day.
As patient expectations continue to rise and practice operations become increasingly complex, investing in the development of the entire practice team is becoming a genuine competitive advantage. The optometry practices delivering exceptional patient experiences, retaining talented employees and building sustainable businesses all have one thing in common: they invest in developing their people.
The optometry practices delivering exceptional patient experiences, retaining great people and building sustainable businesses all have one thing in common: they invest in developing their teams.
Across Australia, recruiting and retaining experienced optical dispensers, reception staff and practice managers has become increasingly challenging. Competition for skilled employees is growing, while increasing patient expectations and administrative demands continue to place pressure on already busy practices.
Yet despite these challenges, structured staff development often slips to the bottom of the priority list. Ironically, failing to invest in people can become one of the most expensive decisions a practice makes.
Every time an experienced employee leaves, they take more than their knowledge and skills with them. Recruitment advertising, interviewing, onboarding, training, reduced productivity and the loss of established patient relationships all create significant financial and operational costs for a practice.
Just as importantly, staff turnover can disrupt team culture, reduce service consistency and increase pressure on the employees who remain.
Research consistently shows that employees are far more likely to stay with organisations that invest in their professional development. According to the LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report, 94% of employees said they would stay at a company longer if it invested in their learning and career development.
For patient-focused healthcare businesses, investing in learning isn’t simply about developing skills, it’s about protecting one of your most valuable business assets: your people.
The practices getting this right aren’t simply retaining staff, they’re building stronger businesses.
Well-trained practice teams are more confident managing patient enquiries, coordinating appointments, supporting clinical workflows and delivering consistent customer service. Over time, these improvements contribute to stronger patient satisfaction, higher staff engagement and more efficient practice operations.
Every patient interaction shapes the reputation of your practice. From the first phone call through to selecting frames and explaining lens options, knowledgeable and confident support staff play a critical role in the patient experience. Investing in their development strengthens day-to-day operations while building the trust and loyalty that encourages patients to return and recommend your practice to others.
For many optometry practices, finding experienced staff is becoming increasingly difficult.
Rather than waiting for experienced candidates to appear, many healthcare businesses are successfully developing their own workforce through traineeships.
Government-supported traineeship programs enable practices to recruit new employees while providing nationally recognised qualifications delivered alongside their day-to-day role. This approach allows businesses to build capability from the ground up while reducing the cost of formal training through available government subsidies.
For practices looking to grow sustainably, traineeships provide a structured, supported and cost-effective workforce solution.
One of the biggest barriers practice owners identify is finding time for professional development.
Closing the practice or sending staff away for multiple days of training is rarely practical.
That’s why UNE Partnerships delivers flexible online training that fits around the realities of healthcare practice. Staff can complete learning alongside their normal work schedules, allowing them to immediately apply new skills in the workplace without disrupting patient care.
Backed by the University of New England and with more than 40 years’ experience delivering vocational education across healthcare, government and industry, UNE Partnerships understands the realities of busy practice environments.
Rather than offering generic training, our programs are designed to develop practical workplace capability that delivers immediate value for both employees and employers.
Learn more about UNE Partnerships.
Whether you’re developing new employees, recognising the skills of experienced staff or preparing future leaders, there are flexible learning options to suit every stage of your team’s career.
For administration and patient-facing employees, programs such as the following build the practical skills needed to deliver exceptional patient experiences while supporting efficient practice operations:
For emerging and established leaders, UNE Partnerships also offers the Diploma of Leadership in Healthcare Practice, along with a range of shorter leadership and management programs that help practice managers and senior staff strengthen leadership capability without committing immediately to a full qualification.
Research continues to demonstrate the value of investing in workforce capability.
Ultimately, investing in your people isn’t simply an HR initiative—it’s a business strategy that supports better patient experiences, stronger team performance and sustainable practice growth.
The Visit UNE Partnerships team will be at the Optometry Conference and Convention (OCC) 2026 and we’d love to connect with practice owners, managers and principals who are thinking seriously about their team’s development.
Whether you have a specific challenge you’re trying to solve, want to explore traineeship options for your practice, or simply want to understand what’s possible, we’re happy to have a no-obligation conversation.
Find us at the conference and let’s talk about what your team could look like 12 months from now.
Or if you’d prefer to get the conversation started before you arrive, contact Alana Segnit on:
Call: 02 6773 4505
Email: alana.segnit@unep.edu.au
Book a Meeting: https://meetings-ap1.hubspot.com/asegnit/optometry-conference-