If you have just left school and aren’t sure about your next step, you’re not alone. Thousands of 16 to 18-year-olds have finished school and are ready to explore the world of work. These tips from youth-friendly organisation ABDO will help you make the leap. School leavers – ready to make the jump to working? You may have something lined up already, but if you don’t, here are some tips to help you explore what you might like to do.…
What do you do when Results Day comes around and you didn’t get the grades you wanted for your chosen degree? You’ve still got great options, explain the team at Careers in Eyecare. The pandemic has been tough for everyone, and if you have been studying for A levels it has been doubly hard. The combination of lockdown and uncertainty about the A level process for many months has left many students feeling that their results don’t truly reflect what…
Work experience is a great way for young people to build skills, learn about the world of work and get a taste for a possible career path. Find out more about work experience below. We have developed guides for employers and young people to make it easy to offer well structured and useful work experience, and help you to inspire the next generation in eyecare. Student work experience workbookEmployers’ guide to work experienceHow to find work experience for students
Thomas Gluyas is an apprentice optical assistant, training with Woodspeen. Read on for his tips for a successful apprenticeship. Could a Career in Eyecare be what you’ve been looking for? Thomas's tips for success Don’t be afraid to try an apprenticeship in something you’d never considered before.For me, where I work and who I work with is more important than the content of the apprenticeship itself.Think where you could be in two or three years’ time after taking your apprenticeship:…
Introduction Work experience plays a vital part in preparing young people for their future careers. It’s an opportunity for them to step outside the classroom and, for many, a chance to see the world of work for the very first time. It can build confidence and be the first thing to go on a CV. Employers really can benefit from the exchange, as running effective work experience programmes can provide great opportunities for developing staff, engaging with new ideas and future customers –…
Lucy Knock BA MA PGCE is the Early Careers Manager, Clinical Services for Specsavers. Part of her role involves inspiring the next generation of eyecare professionals, talking to students at schools and colleges, and in this article she shares her tips. Firstly, if you are talking to young people about careers in eyecare, show, and really demonstrate, how STEM impacts our everyday lives. You could show how an OCT scan picks up subtle changes in layers of the retina allowing…
Work experience is not only for school students, you can complete work experience if you are in college, university and beyond. It is a great addition to your CV and can help you build skills and confidence. Talk to teachers, lecturers and even friends about work experience opportunities. If you want to find out more about working in an optician’s practice, give your local optician a call. Many of them are happy to help. Download a work experience handbook here…
Experience a day in the life of a pre-reg optometry student as Charlotte walks you through her day. Being organised is essential as she juggles revision, assessment preparations, and her daily clinics. Have you ever wondered what a pre-reg optometry student gets up to on a typical day? We caught up with Charlotte Acton to find out. My daily routine… I set up my test room first thing in the morning and then look through my patient list for the day. After the daily team briefing, I catch up with my supervisor to discuss my…
What is STEM? STEM is a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific disciplines: ScienceTechnology EngineeringMathematics STEM education in the UK has grown in recent years as a curriculum that aims to skill students by presenting a cohesive learning platform that based on real-world applications. It underpins the foundational stage of many sectors, including healthcare, and is often integral to an organisation and thus is becoming an ever-more important field for students. What is a STEM Ambassador? Aged 17+ and at…
If you would like a medical career, there are many options open to you. Becoming a doctor or nurse are two careers that most people might think of, but there are plenty of other people working in a hospital too. Read on to discover some of the wide range of careers in healthcare where you might work in a hospital. For your first role, why not start as a health care assistant? Your role is to help patients feel as…