I know all the students personally
Meet Sebastiaan van Dooren (37), our radiant eye-catcher at Optiek & Audicien. With 7 years of experience at Summa and a 14-year background in optics, Sebastiaan is not only an expert but also a passionate instructor and team player. "I know all the students and trainees personally—108 in total. I know where they do their internships, who they are, and what their hobbies are. They also know where to find me if they have any problems."
Sebastian himself followed the bbl training optician"I took classes in entrepreneurship and management, especially if you wanted to start your own business. There are so many opportunities to establish yourself as an entrepreneur in the optical industry. Because I was doing a vocational training program, I was already working in a shop at 16. That took a lot of getting used to; customers would ask questions I couldn't answer yet. So I know exactly what my students and trainees are going through, and I appreciate that familiarity. After graduating, I changed optician's shops a few times so I could see what's going on in different areas."
The switch to education
I've learned a tremendous amount at all the opticians I've worked at, including in-depth topics about the eye, glasses, lenses, and even entrepreneurship. I can now apply that knowledge effectively in my classes. After visiting several stores, I became a store manager at an independent optician's shop. However, a vacancy at Summa Optiek caught my eye. I applied, and they accepted. Over the past seven years, we've grown enormously. Our team has almost doubled, and we now have seven classes, including a customized program for a large national optician's chain. We train their employees, and they ultimately earn their official optician's diploma through us.
New dimensions in optics
We're actively exploring new opportunities in optics at Summa. For example, we're currently exploring the possibility of combining audiologist and optician roles in a single course. We see a lot of potential in this, as it allows us to broaden our training. I really enjoy working with adults. It's very different from working with young students; you talk and think differently, and you truly contribute something. Adults gain immediate value in their work, and they see immediate connections between theory and practice. They also have a very different outlook on life than young students. Many participants continue working in optics, but some also move on to higher levels. I'm proud of that. For example, we currently have two participants in their forties who have retrained and are now very happy in the optics world. That's what I do it for.
The power of knowing
I know all the students and participants personally, 108 in total. I know where they're doing their internships, who they are, and what their hobbies are. They also know where to find me when they have problems. I think that's because I teach a lot of practical lessons and work a lot in the optician's shop at school. You work intensively with two or three people to explain things, and that's how you build a good relationship. Adult education can be a bit of a challenge, and we have to work hard in optics, but I love being involved in LLO. I want it to get the attention it deserves because I enjoy it so much. I also run into a lot of alumni when I visit companies.
The future of optical education
The optics team also regularly attends courses and training sessions. "We're currently taking a course on didactic coaching. It's very interesting, and everyone is involved. We talk about it a lot among ourselves and hear from others how they apply it, and that's how we strengthen each other. I'm incredibly proud of our team. We have great colleagues, the atmosphere is good, and we're incredibly close. Lately, we've been brainstorming a lot about LLO (Language Learning). What can we come up with? How can we approach certain issues, and how can we best contribute to society? We're determined to shape the future of optics education together, and LLO is a crucial part of that."