Apprentice Optical Assistant

JAYSONS OPTICAL LTD

Nottingham (NG10 1HY)

Closes in 28 days (Friday 1 August 2025)

Posted on 1 July 2025

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Summary

A fantastic and unique opportunity has arisen for the right candidate to kickstart their Optical career with a fantastic team at a well-established Opticians and gain the Level 3 Optical Assistant Qualification!

Wage

£14,918.80 for your first year, then could increase depending on your age

National Minimum Wage rate for apprentices

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Training course
Optical assistant 2022 (level 3)
Hours
Shifts to be confirmed.

37 hours 30 minutes a week

Start date

Monday 4 August 2025

Duration

1 year 6 months

Positions available

1

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

  • Meeting and greeting customers
  • Cash handling
  • Building professional relationships with customers
  • Receptionist duties
  • Booking appointments
  • Ordering spectacles and contact lenses
  • Pretesting

Where you'll work

21 High Street
Long Eaton
Nottingham
NG10 1HY

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

College or training organisation

WOODSPEEN TRAINING LIMITED

Your training course

Optical assistant 2022 (level 3)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents
  • Deliver customer service which aligns with company values, beliefs and purposes
  • Identify when and who to refer to when supervision is required such as ocular emergencies, screening, dispensing and collections of restricted categories
  • Work within the limits of policies, procedures, and regulated activity such as GDPR, NHS, GOC, Health and Safety at Work and safeguarding
  • Follow employer’s guidelines and expectations for presentation and team working
  • Identify and meet customer needs within the optical environment
  • Communicate with customers and the optical team to maximise understanding
  • Refer customers needing communication support such as language, hearing, visual or learning difficulties to appropriate services
  • Follow health and safety legislation in the optical environment including customer safety, hygiene, and infection control
  • Follow safe use instructions when using optical equipment such as adjustment tools, screening equipment and measuring equipment
  • Follow procedures and processes for first aid, accident and incident reporting or evacuations
  • Provide the benefits and limitations of the different services (e.g. sight tests, contact lenses) and extended services (e.g. minor eye condition services, low vision services) to the customers within the optical environment
  • Offer non-prescribed products such as contact lens solutions, common ophthalmic drops, ready readers, magnifiers, and other accessories to customers
  • Select appointments, recall information, appointment types and exemptions on the employer’s system, and maintain accurate records, e.g. customer details
  • Report and record ocular emergencies following correct employer procedures
  • Accurately prepare clinical records for use following employer procedures
  • Accurately complete customer pre-appointment procedures
  • Use product tolerances to validate product accuracy
  • Use lens measuring equipment to identify prescriptions and lens measurements
  • Identify lens types using engravings such as progressive lenses and safety spectacles and remark lenses where required
  • Interpret the spectacle prescription to identify a range of vision correction options suitable for the customer
  • Offer suitable lens products to the customer based on customer needs and preferences, using features and benefits to highlight suitability
  • Offer specialised products to the customer based on their needs and preferences, using features and benefits to highlight suitability
  • Offer suitable frames to the customer based on their needs and preferences, using features and benefits to highlight suitability
  • Identify frame fitting suitability including facial, frame and spectacle lens measurements required to process spectacle orders for the customer
  • Process spectacle orders, payments and arrange collections, offering relevant promotions to the customer where appropriate
  • Identify and check visual acuity for near vision spectacle, explaining adaption as required
  • Fit spectacle frames through the use of questioning, measurements, and tools
  • Use tools correctly to adjust frame without causing damage
  • Provide advice and guidance on frame fitting, lens care and after sales service
  • Identify guarantees and warranties of optical products and adhere to the legal requirements for consumers
  • Manage customer concerns and or complaints in line with employer procedures
  • Use problem solving techniques to identify concern and or complaint causes
  • Communicate with customers to resolve concerns or complaints within the limits of their own authority
  • Follow remake procedures
  • Follow repair procedures
  • Recognise and resolve customer complaints e.g. poor fitting, incorrect measurements, or offer alternative options in line with business requirements
  • Participate in training and development activities to maintain own practice
  • Participate in appraisal, obtain feedback, and use self-reflection to plan further development opportunities and identify available career opportunities to support progression
  • Adapt approach for customers with ocular conditions such as glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, diabetes
  • Conduct screening using screening equipment and record accurate results
  • Inform the patient about the equipment, processes and procedures used for screening
  • Gain support or guidance from colleagues during screening when required
  • Inform the patient that the tests check for medical conditions such as glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, diabetes
  • Demonstrate contact lens handling and insertion and removal to a patient
  • Show the patient how to care for their lens
  • Provide advice and guidance on cleaning of lenses and solution types
  • Follow out of hours emergency procedures
  • Recognise a customer’s ability to make an informed decision
  • Tell the customer what the sight test includes and how it is carried out
  • Work independently to plan and manage workload
  • Assess and mitigate risk in patient’s home to ensure an appropriate eye test can be delivered
  • Mange own wellbeing and resources
  • Maintain team communications when working remotely
  • Deliver customer service which aligns with company values, beliefs and purposes
  • Identify when and who to refer to when supervision is required such as ocular emergencies, screening, dispensing and collections of restricted categories
  • Work within the limits of policies, procedures, and regulated activity such as GDPR, NHS, GOC, Health and Safety at Work and safeguarding
  • Follow employer’s guidelines and expectations for presentation and team working
  • Identify and meet customer needs within the optical environment
  • Communicate with customers and the optical team to maximise understanding
  • Refer customers needing communication support such as language, hearing, visual or learning difficulties to appropriate services
  • Follow health and safety legislation in the optical environment including customer safety, hygiene, and infection control
  • Follow safe use instructions when using optical equipment such as adjustment tools, screening equipment and measuring equipment
  • Follow procedures and processes for first aid, accident and incident reporting or evacuations
  • Provide the benefits and limitations of the different services (e.g. sight tests, contact lenses) and extended services (e.g. minor eye condition services, low vision services) to the customers within the optical environment
  • Offer non-prescribed products such as contact lens solutions, common ophthalmic drops, ready readers, magnifiers, and other accessories to customers
  • Select appointments, recall information, appointment types and exemptions on the employer’s system, and maintain accurate records, e.g. customer details
  • Report and record ocular emergencies following correct employer procedures
  • Accurately prepare clinical records for use following employer procedures
  • Accurately complete customer pre-appointment procedures
  • Use product tolerances to validate product accuracy
  • Use lens measuring equipment to identify prescriptions and lens measurements
  • Identify lens types using engravings such as progressive lenses and safety spectacles and remark lenses where required
  • Interpret the spectacle prescription to identify a range of vision correction options suitable for the customer
  • Offer suitable lens products to the customer based on customer needs and preferences, using features and benefits to highlight suitability
  • Offer specialised products to the customer based on their needs and preferences, using features and benefits to highlight suitability
  • Offer suitable frames to the customer based on their needs and preferences, using features and benefits to highlight suitability
  • Identify frame fitting suitability including facial, frame and spectacle lens measurements required to process spectacle orders for the customer
  • Process spectacle orders, payments and arrange collections, offering relevant promotions to the customer where appropriate
  • Identify and check visual acuity for near vision spectacle, explaining adaption as required
  • Fit spectacle frames through the use of questioning, measurements, and tools
  • Use tools correctly to adjust frame without causing damage
  • Provide advice and guidance on frame fitting, lens care and after sales service
  • Identify guarantees and warranties of optical products and adhere to the legal requirements for consumers
  • Manage customer concerns and or complaints in line with employer procedures
  • Use problem solving techniques to identify concern and or complaint causes
  • Communicate with customers to resolve concerns or complaints within the limits of their own authority
  • Follow remake procedures
  • Follow repair procedures
  • Recognise and resolve customer complaints e.g. poor fitting, incorrect measurements, or offer alternative options in line with business requirements
  • Participate in training and development activities to maintain own practice
  • Participate in appraisal, obtain feedback, and use self-reflection to plan further development opportunities and identify available career opportunities to support progression
  • Adapt approach for customers with ocular conditions such as glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, diabetes

Your training plan

This training plan has not been finalised. Check with this employer if you’ll need to travel to a college or training location for this apprenticeship.

More training information

The course is 18 months long with an end point assessments period afterwards. Throughout the course you will be completing modules that focus on screening checks, customer interactions, fitting and adjustment of spectacles, quality and governance, health and safety, materials of frames and lenses, and tools and equipment.

All of the coursework will be completed online during work meaning there is no commute to college and you will be getting paid whilst completing training.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

  • English (grade 4)
  • Maths (grade 4)

Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.

Skills

  • Communication skills
  • Attention to detail
  • Organisation skills
  • Customer care skills
  • Problem solving skills
  • Team working
  • Initiative
  • Non judgemental
  • Patience
  • Professional
  • Friendly
  • Helpful
  • Enthusiastic

About this company

Jaysons Opticians was founded in 1985 by Mr Kamlesh Lakhani who provided high-quality clinical personal eye care to over four generations of the local population until his well-deserved retirement in March 2022. The practice is now headed by Mr Ryan Khaira BSc MCOptom Prof Cert Glauc and Mr Karundeep Singh Bal BSc MCOptom Prof Cert Glauc, who since graduating from Aston University together they have amassed a wealth of experience at a range of large high street opticians and smaller independent practices. Our current resident optometrist is Joseph Darby McOptom, and he is supported by pre-reg optometrist Priya Kaur Tanda. At the start of 2023, we carried out a refit to bring the practice up to date and make it a more comfortable environment for our patients. We aim to continue the fantastic work that Mr Lakhani has done over the years by providing complete eyecare alongside additional hearing care services to our patients. With the latest eye examination equipment such as an OCT scanner and automated testing equipment, we have everything the big chains have, but as an independent, we are in a position to give a more personal service, taking more time to meet your individual needs. You can bring the whole family to us at Jaysons for eyecare, with services ranging from low vision assessments for older patients to visual stress assessments and myopia control options for children. We also offer Eyeplan packages, where patients pay a monthly fee that covers a range of services including a comprehensive eye exam and OCT scans when needed, plus 10% off glasses. On the hearing care side of things, our services range from a simple hearing health check to comprehensive hearing assessment, private hearing aids, and microsuction ear wax removal. Along with caring for your vision and hearing, we offer a wide range of eyewear brands. All frames are carefully chosen by our knowledgeable team with our patients’ needs in mind, and we’ll be happy to help you choose the most suitable frames for your vision needs and lifestyle.

After this apprenticeship

After gaining the Level 3 Optical Assistant qualification, you can study further to become a qualified Dispensing Optician. From there, you can progress and study to become a Contact Lens Optician or Optometrist.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

WOODSPEEN TRAINING LIMITED

lucy.booth@woodspeentraining.co.uk

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000329102.

Apply now

Closes in 28 days (Friday 1 August 2025)

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After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.