AN OPTICIANS in Mansfield is celebrating National Apprentice Week this week with their high achieving apprentices, past and present.

Last year the store supported three employees through their apprenticeships, and all are now full-time members of the team. Harry Garton is a clinic coordinator, Chloe Best a dispenser and Amber Peroti is an optical assistant.

“Following the huge success of our apprentices last year, we’ve been able to offer three more optical assistant level two apprenticeships and welcomed our new recruits, Morgan Boyd, Lauren Flude and Harriet Sibley-Payne, who are settling in well, along with our hearing aid dispensing apprentice, Levi Marshall,” said store director, Patrick Hegarty.

“Apprenticeships open up a variety of career routes and our team is supported to reach their potential in their chosen field. We’re very proud of our whole team culture of learning, helping us all to be the best we can for our customers.”

Apprenticeships at Specsavers are open to people of any age and successful applicants earn a salary while learning.

The theme for National Apprenticeship Week 2020 is Look Beyond – to help people see past the outdated stereotypes surrounding apprenticeships and to celebrate the diversity of opportunity and value that they bring to the country today. An apprenticeship can unlock fantastic long-term career options across a diverse range of roles and industries.

Louise Powell, head of apprenticeships at Specsavers, added: “Specsavers apprenticeship programmes are a fantastic way to begin or develop a rewarding and successful career. This is demonstrated by the fact that 94% of our optical assistant apprentices go on to take on a full-time job at Specsavers, 92% say their career prospects have improved and 73% of apprentices who take a role in store then go on to take clinical or management qualifications.

“Not only that, but our training has been viewed as best in the sector by Ofsted. It is an exciting time to be part of the team. As long as you’re a hard worker, punctual and ambitious you will do well at Specsavers and there are plenty of opportunities to continue with your development.”

National Apprenticeship Week is an annual week-long celebration of apprenticeships across England and is a time to recognise and applaud apprenticeship success stories across the country.