Student Ambassadors

The BCLA student ambassador scheme was introduced in 2015. Several universities across the UK and Ireland are represented by each of the ambassadors and primarily it's their role to represent the BCLA and to ensure that their peers are taking full advantage of their BCLA student membership, and more importantly bring the student view point to the BCLA. One of the key objectives of introducing the student ambassador programme was so that the organisation could gain a better understanding of student's needs and how we can help them develop at this very early stage of their career. The student team is guided by a mentor, who is part of the BCLA Council.

The ambassador position is held from September of second year (third year Glasgow Caledonian) for one year. 

The ambassador duties include:                                                                                               

- To promote the BCLA to their Peers (optometry and dispensing optician Students) at their institution, presenting the benefits of being a BCLA member.
- To actively drive sign ups of students to the BCLA student membership
- To arrange a BCLA sponsored contact lens/anterior eye/ocular surface presentation at their institution. The speaker to be provided by the BCLA delivering a relevant topic (along the lines of: ‘What the BCLA and contact lenses have done for me’)
- Encourage maintained membership as Pre-reg members
- Participate, support and network at BCLA events e.g. Clinical Conference, Contact Lens Fitting Skills day & Online Webinars.
- Be part of an active social media plan to promote and interest in BCLA, contact lenses and anterior eye.

Rewards

• This is an honorary position, reasonable expenses will be paid to enable the Student Ambassadors to attend meetings and events when they are requested to do so.

• The opportunity to attend the BCLA annual clinical conference to get a behind the scenes view of a major contact lens conference.
• The opportunity to network with like-minded peers
• The opportunity to meet leading figures in the contact lens field
• To contribute towards the development of the world renowned BCLA.

Engagement

The role of BCLA Student Ambassador will commence upon appointment from November 2023 for the duration of their penultimate year of university. There will be on-going communication with the BCLA beyond the end of the term and the BCLA may, from time to time, ask the ambassadors to be involved in specific projects.

Recruitment

The BCLA need to identify two students from each BUCCLE institution who would be keen and willing to take on this role and has the necessary skills and standing with their peers to act as an advocate for the BCLA and who would be able to contribute to discussions about the development of the interaction of the BCLA with students. Submission are now closed and will re-open in Summer 2024.

As a BCLA student ambassador, the students receive networking opportunities, gain a deeper understanding of the optics industry, and boost their CV.