Specsavers has set another record graduate intake in 2024, with 246 joining the business, including the first cohort of graduates from the University of Western Australia (UWA)’s optometry school.
Of the new graduates, 181 have already commenced work in clinics across Australia and New Zealand in the first week of February.
This year is the largest single intake the business has ever accepted into its Graduate Program since its inception and is a 6.5% increase on the previous year.
Breaking down the numbers, 206 graduates have taken up roles across Australia in both metro and regional stores, and 40 have joined the New Zealand business.
“The Specsavers Graduate Program is an unrivalled industry development program that provides our graduates with the very best possible start to their careers,” said Specsavers professional recruitment director Mr Raj Sundarjee.
“The size of our intake, both this year and in previous years, shows that Specsavers continues to be the employer of choice for young optometrists. And it’s no surprise, considering we have been listed as an accredited Great Place to Work for the past three years running, and were named among the Top 10 Best Places to Work in Australia last year.”
Sundarjee said the size of this year’s cohort also indicated that Specsavers’ mission – to change lives through better sight and hearing – continued to resonate with the next generation of optometrists.
“This generation really recognises the value of evidence-based clinical practice in enhancing patient outcomes for Australians and New Zealanders and it’s something they want to be part of,” he said.
This year, Specsavers has also welcomed 23 optometrists from the first graduating cohort from UWA’s three-year postgraduate Doctor of Optometry program, established in 2021.
“We are thrilled that more than half the graduating class from UWA have chosen Specsavers as the place they want to start their careers, and we know they will continue to ensure that we are able to provide the best eye health outcomes to the people of Western Australia for years to come,” Sundarjee said.
The newest members of the Specsavers family were officially welcomed into the Specsavers Graduate Program at the annual Specsavers Graduate Induction event on 19-20 February, held at Crown Conference Centre in Melbourne.
This year’s event aimed to provide graduates with the best possible start to their careers including top tips for best practice, and the business’ core mission, vision values, as well as an overview of eye health stakeholders such as RANZCO, Glaucoma Australia, Diabetes Australia, government, and the technology available in-store.
The two-day event also included small workshops, facilitated by a range of Specsavers specialists, providing opportunities to discuss topics including the importance of professional communication, confidence in therapeutic prescribing, professional billing, the company’s product ranges, and a special focus on graduate wellbeing.
“Our clinical sessions at Graduate Induction continue to be a highlight for our graduates as they provide opportunities to acquire in-depth information on topics highly relevant to clinical practice,” Specsavers graduate optometry development manager Dr Natasha Fernandes said.
“This event is the first official event in the Specsavers Graduate Program and commences the graduate journey towards professional competency and capability. It’s a surreal experience being in a room full of almost 200 graduates on the same learning journey as yourself and provides a great opportunity to network and build lifelong connections within our optometry community at Specsavers.”
Fernandes said the Specsavers Graduate Program was designed to ensure every graduate is fully supported throughout the first two years of their career with ongoing clinical and commercial training, mentoring, and education to grow their clinical skills and expertise.
“The program is designed to enrich those first two years as a young health professional and provides our graduates with the training and development opportunities designed specifically to ensure their ongoing personal and professional growth,” she said.
Fernandes said the Graduate Program was a first step in the professional development journey for Specsavers optometrists.
“The Graduate Program is just the start of an exciting and fulfilling career with Specsavers,” she said.
“And when you follow the Graduate Program with additional development programs, such as our Early Career Optometry (ECO) program and our Partnership Pathway Programs, you can see how Specsavers optometrists have a journey of lifelong professional education at their fingertips.”
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