Building the Workforce of Tomorrow: The Success of T Levels and Apprenticeships at Specsavers

What sets our people apart is their curiosity and passion to change lives through better sight and hearing. This ethos runs through every level of our workforce and is especially evident when we’re looking for new talent early in their careers to ensure a healthy pipeline and to continue building on that energy and enthusiasm.

Training and employment schemes play a crucial role in this and are a vital part of our recruitment strategy. Apprenticeships have been part of the strategy for years, and the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy encouraged us to maximise opportunities for apprentices to join the business. The demand for skilled workers, especially in fields like healthcare and retail, was growing rapidly, and we knew that the traditional routes of recruitment wouldn't necessarily be enough to meet our needs. So, developing people with no or little prior experience or skills in the field was an exciting option to help future-proof our workforce.

In fact, according to the Skills Horizon Barometer report from Skills for Life the majority of skills gaps businesses face are at entry level. For us, apprenticeships and T Level industry placements offered a way for us to not only bridge that gap but also offer meaningful career development.

Our apprenticeship programme, which has been running for around nine years, has supported hundreds of people on their career paths – whether they’re just starting out or retraining. Our apprenticeships offer a great stepping stone into our business and a way to upskill on the job. We have apprentices in our stores and home visit businesses, as well as Manufacturing and Distribution sites and support offices. Predominantly, our apprenticeships are used to attract and find new talent, and they’re open to anyone who doesn’t have prior experience. By the end of the apprenticeship, the individual is fully qualified in a role they can excel at.

We invest time in our apprentices, building their knowledge and shaping them to be valuable team members, so naturally, we want to retain them after they complete their course. Even though this is just a step in their career journey, over 90% of apprentices stay with us after completing their apprenticeship. With Specsavers being an Employer Provider, we can build a curriculum that is structured yet flexible and meets the needs of our employers and apprentices. Our stores are owned and run by local partners, meaning each apprenticeship experience can differ based on the local store’s needs. We also adapt to each individual’s learning needs and ways of working.  Apprentices are trained in their roles within their businesses by experts in their field, supported by Apprentice Coaches who strengthen the learning journey to ensure they achieve their best, with an assessment carried out externally at the end. As they learn, they’re supported by the Specsavers Apprenticeship team or the different training and education providers we work with. Together, we ensure each apprentice has everything they need to learn and grow, helping them reach their full potential.

We’re one of the top 100 apprenticeship employers in England, and as a long-time supporter of such schemes, we find our apprentices are committed, hardworking, and innovative – they want to learn and have passion.

Employers tell us how apprentices have better skills and knowledge at the end of their apprenticeship. We have hundreds of success stories where apprentices have gone on to be Dispensing Opticians, Hearing Aid Dispensers, managers, and in-store trainers. We are proud that we have three coaches in our team who now support apprentices, having been on the apprenticeship journey themselves. The apprenticeships don’t only develop our colleagues professionally but also personally, and we love to hear how the apprenticeship has changed lives in some cases.

We also decided to explore how offering T Level industry placements could support our efforts to attract talented individuals and introduce them to the wide range of opportunities at Specsavers, particularly for those studying technology. While this is relatively new for us, we’ve already had the pleasure of welcoming some exceptionally talented students who have a genuine passion for pursuing careers in their chosen fields, rather than simply seeking employment. They’ve have shown remarkable commitment and dedication, seamlessly applying the knowledge they’ve gained in college to develop practical skills on the job. Our experience has demonstrated that T Level students are highly motivated, eager to learn, and committed to personal growth. This enthusiasm is shaping them into professionals who are ready to make valuable contributions during their industry placements.

Through these training and employment schemes, we’re introduced to some of the brightest and most curious individuals. We offer great development, support, and career opportunities to those who undertake our schemes, as a business, we get a huge amount back from them. Having an offer that attracts diverse talent is a real asset, and we will continue to make technical education a key part of our recruitment and development strategy.

If you’re a business leader looking to future-proof your workforce, check out the Skills for Life website for all the information you need on how to make the most of the technical education schemes on offer and feel free to reach out for a conversation; I’d love to connect with more like-minded businesses.

 By Dena Wyatt, Head of Apprenticeships at Specsavers