The purpose of the PQP is for you to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to register as a Dispensing Optician with the General Optical Council. This is achieved through you learning in the workplace and is assessed by you demonstrating compliance in the Association's PQP requirements AND passing the ABDO's Final Qualifying Examination, which examines eight Core Competencies.

Evidence of this experience is documented by the trainee in a Pre-Qualification Portfolio which will record a minimum number of patient experiences and dispensing tasks. The Portfolio must be submitted to the ABDO and signed off before the trainee sits the Final Qualifying Examination, and is required to support an application for registration as a Dispensing Optician with the General Optical Council.

Students may commence their PQP as soon as they have commenced on an approved course of study and have registered and received approval from the ABDO's Registration department of their supervision arrangements, irrespective of their mode of study. The period over which the Portfolio is written up will therefore vary considerably depending on whether the trainee is working full or part time.