Spectacle Maker

You’ll help produce and repair finished, quality-assured spectacles on a spectacle maker apprenticeship course.

As a spectacle maker, you’ll use your skills and time to build and repair finished, high-quality glasses with a wide range of prescriptions, coatings and finishes, frame types and styles.

You’ll be able to use various materials for frames, lenses, and optical manufacturing, as well as repair tools and equipment. This apprenticeship will be performed in either a small glazing workshop or a larger manufacturing environment.

You’ll need a strong professional work ethic, pride in your work and attention to detail, and the ability to keep current on best practices and emerging technologies in the optical business. 

In addition, you must receive and provide constructive criticism and make and maintain professional contacts. Completing the spectacle maker apprenticeship fulfils the requirements for entrance to the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers as a freeman.

What you’ll learn

On a spectacle maker apprenticeship course, you’ll learn to:

• Use safe working procedures to maintain high health and safety standards for oneself and others.
• Create and maintain a safe working environment using both manual and mechanised equipment.
• Identify and mitigate workplace risks and dangers.
• Create and grasp technical optical specifications, drawings, and other written and spoken instructions for the manufacture and repair of glasses, including the identification and proper response to faults, including testing and correction as required
• Select and use the processes, techniques, materials, tools, and equipment to manufacture or repair spectacles and carry out the spectacle-making process from conception to completion.
• Remove and dismantle components and commodities, correct defects, and reassemble eyeglasses to proper standards
• Test and adjust spectacles, including lens compliance, frame set-up, and aesthetic checks
• Maintain materials and equipment, such as grinding and polishing tools, assembly tools (precision screwdrivers, optical pliers, routers), and measuring devices (focimeters, lensmeters, base clocks).
• Work in line with the appropriate optical quality standards and systems, using time, materials, and resources efficiently.

Entry requirements

You’ll usually need:

• Depending on the employer, GCSEs or equivalent qualifications or relevant experience are likely.
• Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this before taking the end-point assessment.

Assessment methods

The End Point Assessment comprises two distinct assessment methods: 

• Direct Observation 
• Professional Discussion 

Duration, level, subjects and potential salary upon completion

Apprenticeship standard

More information about the Level 3 Spectacle Maker Apprenticeship standard can be found here.

Apprenticeship end point assessment

For more information about the End Point Assessment Process, please read the Institute of Apprenticeships’ information page