Local opticians put optics in focus for National Careers Week
An opticians in Blackheath and Dudley is celebrating the career journey of one of its own store directors, who started out working weekends alongside his studies, to mark National Careers Week (March 2-7).
With National Careers Week aiming to highlight opportunities and pathways available to young people, Hussnan Ejaz, store director at Specsavers Blackheath and Dudley is also hoping to raise awareness of the career opportunities available in optics.
Hussnan began his journey with Specsavers after securing work experience at the Dudley store while still in college. What started as a chance opportunity quickly turned into a career path spanning multiple roles and qualifications.
"It was completely by chance," Hussnan explains. "I did work experience at a pharmacy and didn’t enjoy it, so my college advised me to find another placement. One day on my lunch break I popped into Specsavers Dudley and asked for work experience – and the rest is history."
Hussnan progressed from work experience to optical assistant, before going on to study optometry at university, completing his pre-registration training year, qualifying as an optometrist, becoming lead optometrist and eventually a store director in 2017.
He feels that working weekends alongside his studies helped shape his work ethic: "It made me more disciplined - I had to balance study and work during college," he says. "When I went to university in Cambridge, I still came home every weekend to work in Birmingham which was a 110-mile round trip."
He credits Specsavers’ training and support as key to his progression. "Working with Specsavers was the key to my success. There was so much support throughout my career development - from supervisors, managers, directors and peers, as well as the support office during my pre-reg training. The possibilities were endless and Specsavers showed me there were so many career opportunities available."
Weekend roles at Specsavers typically involve greeting customers, supporting appointments and learning about the technology and processes involved in eye examinations, helping young people gain valuable real-world experience.
Hussnan encourages young people to consider weekend roles in optics. "Definitely look for paid or work experience at Specsavers. It will help your career. It gave me confidence, taught me how to deal with customers and colleagues, and helped me develop strong time management skills."
