WORCESTER apprentice Owen Bairstow has an optical career in his sights after graduating with national retailer Vision Express in its Class of 2016.

The company was deluged with more than 4,500 apprentice applications for the course, with 20-year-old Mr Bairstow beating off competition from an average of 50 applicants for each place on the 13-month employee-embedded scheme. Each graduate qualified with a Level 2, Intermediate Apprenticeship in Health (Optical Retail), which is equivalent to five GCSEs.

Mr Bairstow graduated at a ceremony at the Vision Express Nottingham Support Centre and will continue his career with the team at the Worcester Vision Express store.

He said: "I studied business at college and got a job in a wholesalers to keep me going, but I didn’t consider it as a career and felt university wasn’t for me. I’d had an eye test at Vision Express before and when the opportunity came up I was interested in what I could make of it. I’ve always been fairly confident so it’s been great to meet so many new people, but the scheme has definitely helped me mature. I’ve enjoyed working in a large company and a professional environment. I’d 100 per cent recommend this kind of apprenticeship."

Vision Express human resources director Kate Clayton, who was once an apprentice herself, added: "It's great to bring such capable, ambitious young talent into the business. People are the lifeblood of any retailer and the first impression of the organisation to its customers. We place great value on our apprentices and it's a testament, both to them as ambitious individuals and the scheme itself, that all of the graduates are staying with the company. To be chosen from an average of 50 applicants per place is a huge achievement and I'm proud of every single one of the Class of 2016."

A total of 120 apprentices have been placed at Vision Express since the apprentice scheme launched two years ago. Managed and delivered by in-house optical experts, it gives candidates the opportunity to earn while they learn, with assessor support and hands-on experience.