“An apprenticeship in the field of optometry is extremely varied and future-proof”
- 20. Dec. 2022
- Michael Runge
- Backstage
Trained opticians work in many areas at Mister Spex – especially in the stores. But currently there are simply too few skilled workers for our ambitious plans. That’s why we train people ourselves and run our own training workshops. Benjamin is the leader of one of them.
He has been on board since August 2020 and comes from a medium-sized company. There, he completed his training as an optician, earned his master’s degree and eventually became a store manager. His assistant manager at the time moved to Mister Spex before him and told Benjamin about a great opportunity. She knew that he had been teaching business studies for future master opticians at the bfw in Karlsruhe since 2016, that he was passionate about apprenticeships – and that Mister Spex was looking for a manager for its own training workshop in Reutlingen. Benjamin was thrilled, especially as he is absolutely convinced of the omnichannel concept. And so he first helped out at the Mister Spex store in Stuttgart, got to know the processes on site very well, and finally opened the training workshop directly above the Mister Spex store in September 2021, which he was able to help plan and design.
What does the training workshop look like? Benjamin enthuses: “Here, the apprentices find everything they find at the guild: CNC grinding machines, precision drilling machines, etc. – everything is state-of-the-art. So they get the best possible training in their craft. And it’s cosy, too!” The training workshops are so important for the training at Mister Spex because the glasses are not manufactured in the stores, but centrally in the logistics centre in Berlin, from where the products are also sent to the customers’ homes. This means that the training can also be completed in other parts of Germany, currently in Mannheim, Münster and Berlin as well as Reutlingen. Further locations are being planned.
What excited and still excites Benjamin about working at Mister Spex? On the one hand, there are the flat hierarchies. “You are encouraged and called upon to address and optimise things, and the best thing is that these ideas are then implemented. I’ve never experienced that in my 25 years of professional life,” he enthuses. In addition, there are opportunities for further development. Talents are encouraged – but you have to want it. The apprentices in particular have to learn to work independently. “The balancing act between a fixed curriculum and the use of freedom is what makes the training so special,” Benjamin continues. “We also place great emphasis on craftsmanship, and are in the workshop for a third of the working time. But at the same time, the apprentices are also given a laptop to give them access to the digital world and the rest of the international young team.” Digitalisation still doesn’t play a role for some competitors. At the same time, Benjamin is convinced that we are far from being at the end of the development here.
How are the right apprentices selected? Benjamin: “First of all, the appearance, the first impression is decisive. Grades are not super important. What’s important is that the person has a desire for optometry, craftsmanship and science – and for working with people, even sometimes on a Saturday or in the store in the evening.” For him, the nice thing about a job in optometry, besides the work, is the direct feedback: “I always have a result and can react to feedback.” In addition, the job is very varied and extremely future-oriented. Six apprentices per apprenticeship year, i.e. a total of 18 people, can be employed in the training workshop in Reutlingen.
And after the apprenticeship? “The goal is, of course, to take on the junior staff. Because we have a lot of plans, we want to expand and of course we need qualified people. And if it doesn’t fit in the store, there is also the wonderful opportunity to be employed in other areas at Mister Spex – such as in customer service, in the workshop or in a completely different area of e-commerce,” Benjamin continues. “And it’s worth sticking with it. The need will continue and the work is just fun, even after so many years in the industry!”
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