Optical Assistant Apprentice
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Company: VISION EXPRESS LIMITED
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Location: London, W12 7HT
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Type: Apprenticeship
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Salary: Apprenticeship Minimum Wage
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Sector: Health and science
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Ref: NAS-2000014896
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Application Deadline Date: 24/04/2026
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Start Date: 04/05/2026
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Positions Available: 1
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Working Week: Monday to Friday, between 9:30am to 5:00pm.
Brief Description
This vacancy is for an Apprentice Optical Assistant based in Westfiled. The successful applicant will have the opportunity to undertake valuable work experience within Vison Express supporting day-to-day tasks whilst gaining on the job qualifications.
Future Prospects
The successful candidate will work towards achieving a Level 3 qualification in optics and gain experience in a busy optical practice.
Upon completion of the Level 3 qualification, you will be an experienced and qualified optical assistant, and as such, you can continue building up skills that will always be in demand. Career breaks and part-time working are often possible.
You could go on to acquire higher level optical qualifications such as:
- Ophthalmic Dispensing – Become a qualified Dispensing Optician.
- Contact lens Optician - fit Contact lenses.
- Low vision specialist – helps people where traditional spectacles will not suffice. Supply low vision aids, magnifiers, advice on improving contrast and on other non-optical aids such as bump-ons.
- Optometry courses – carry out full eye examinations and issue prescriptions.
- Clinical representative – visiting practices introducing new frame ranges and Ophthalmic lenses.
- In-practice trainer – You could use your knowledge to train others.
- Other non-clinical roles:
- Practice Management you could complete a management course.
- Practice ownership. You could go into business yourself, in a partnership or franchise.
Vacancy Detail
Key responsibilities of the role (but not limited to the role):
Conduct and Legalisation
- Demonstrate and promote adherence to company policy, procedure, professional standards and legal obligations, including Data Protection, Health & Safety and all GOC regulatory legislation requirements.
- To ensure all in-store administration is completed accurately and all manual and computerised customer records are maintained in accordance with company guidelines and relevant data protection laws.
- To have a good working knowledge of the Vision Express Ways of Working.
- To take personal responsibility for your own development, ensuring regulatory e-learning is completed efficiently and be proactive in maintaining and developing knowledge through participation in company development programmes.
- Maintain the highest store standards possible, including the appearance of both stores and your own personal presentation.
Sales and Service
- To act as a Vision Express brand ambassador, creating a welcoming environment for all customers and ensuring their expectations are exceeded throughout the customer journey.
- To relentlessly deliver the best customer service through the Vision Express Ways of Working and behaviours, every day to every customer.
- To support the management team in achieving the required targeted growth in sales and profit.
- To deliver a seamless customer journey through the meeting/greeting, offering of refreshments, initial eye examinations, dispensing, fitting and collections of every Vision Express customer.
- To provide accurate and knowledgeable advice and guidance to meet each customer's specific needs through the recommendations made, selection and purchase of all types of eye-wear and eye-care solutions.
- To conduct eyewear repairs and order replacements when required.
- To participate in all stock take activity as determined by the management team.
- Key holder duties after successful completion of silver training (if and when required).
- Make decisions within the agreed scope of your role on matters relating to the day-to-day retail operations within your store, escalate to line manager where required.
Team Work and Communication
- To maintain good and professional working relationships with the store team.
- Attend and participate in morning briefs and team meetings.
- To provide honest feedback to the management team to support ongoing improvements.
- Any other duties or responsibilities as reasonably requested by line management.
Additional Responsibilities:
- Where applicable, to use in-store laboratory equipment in the production and manufacture of high-quality eyewear ensuring;
- The quality of eyewear produced is compliant with company standards and produced within the agreed timeframe.
- All laboratory equipment is maintained/calibrated in accordance with company guidelines.
- Effective lens usage in accordance with company guidance/policy and thus contribution to store cost control.
- The laboratory lens and consumable stock levels are stored correctly and in accordance with company policy.
- Duties may vary in accordance with customer demand and store structure.