Inspiring others

A team of 40 staff from Specsavers attended the Big Bang Fair in Birmingham last month to speak to students about what a career in optometry or audiology has to offer.

The four-day fair, which was attended by 80,000 teenagers, is designed for students in year nine upwards who are interested in studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

The Specsavers team, which included optometrists, store directors, head of enhanced optical services and the careers team, ran interactive activities, giving students the opportunity to have an optical coherence tomography scan and a VR simulation showing what vision impairment is like.

Speaking about the fair, early careers manager, Lucy Knock, said: “This is the third year Specsavers has showcased our services to teens at the Big Bang Fair, which has proven to be a great opportunity to raise awareness of careers in optometry on a national level. We know that optometry is one of the best kept secrets in healthcare careers and this needs to change if we are to have a sustainable profession.”

“We are committed to building relationships with the next generation of optometrists and exhibiting at STEM career events is a significant part of our overall early careers strategy,” she added.