The first Orthoptics Industry Honours project-based learning experience commenced at La Trobe University in 2023. This learning experience is a collaborative, largely self-directed industry-relevant learning opportunity that develops students’ project management skills and capabilities.
Projects are conducted in collaboration with an industry partner by a student ‘project team’. Health industries and agencies are active partners in the project and provide the project topic and overview. However, the process of scoping and managing the project is led increasingly by the student team as the project progresses.

The aim of the project component is for students to develop skills in health project management, which we describe as an approach that health and human services professionals can adopt to plan and implement health related strategies targeting the broader health system (e.g., service, worker or community capacity) rather than focusing on the care of individual patients or client groups.

The aim of this presentation is to showcase the 18-month industry project learning experience and the breadth of projects undertaken by senior orthoptic students to the profession.