This occupation is found in the healthcare manufacturing industry, including retailing through smaller independent practices and larger-scale multiple practices, and lens manufacturing sites.
Prescription lenses and or complete optical devices are manufactured, supplied and fitted within this role using the information in the clinical prescription provided by optometrists.
The broad purpose of the occupation is to manufacture, repair and quality assure optical devices, spectacles and their component parts, optical frames and lenses to the prescription information provided by clinical optometrists, ophthalmologists and or dispensing opticians.
Spectacle Technicians need to be able to interpret clinical prescriptions and spectacle orders, identify lens and frame materials and their handling characteristics, produce optical devices according to the clinical prescription, understand quality assurance processes and standards, maintain equipment and ensure a safe working environment, identify faults and repair and or replace component parts, work with colleagues and customers to resolve problems and technical issues. They need to also critically assess for errors or omissions and assess suitability before proceeding.
Spectacle Technicians may work in a variety of optical manufacturing environments. These can be in any or all of the following environments: lens prescription manufacturing to produce optical lenses to the required prescription information, lens coating and treatment manufacturing to apply coatings and treatments to optical lenses and or lens glazing and fitting to cut and assemble lenses and fit to spectacle frames.
In their daily work, an employee in this occupation will interact with colleagues in the retail or manufacturing operation where they work. This would involve team members in the same organisation, workplace for example: opticians, dispensing colleagues, stock room operative, quality assurance operative, managers or supervisors they report to, other external suppliers and their customers.
An employee in this occupation will be responsible for:
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Duty 1 Order, stock and manage component parts and or products used for manufacturing, using clinical prescription details or order information to accurately process into production and or on to the customer. |
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Duty 2 Act within agreed ways of working following relevant national and local standards, policies and standard operating procedures in the workplace. |
K1 K3 K5 K10 K11 K15 K21 K22 K28 K29 K30 K31 |
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Duty 3 Maintain the health, safety and security of yourself, customers and others in the workplace by identifying risks and hazards and taking appropriate action to keep people safe. |
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Duty 4 Maintain environmental awareness for the effective disposal of waste from the production process. |
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Duty 5 Conduct maintenance and calibration to equipment and tools as required, referring to suppliers’ guidelines and company procedures. |
K4 K9 K10 K18 K22 K23 K24 K27 K29 K30 S1 S4 S6 S7 S12 S13 S19 S20 S21
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Duty 6 Prepare, organise and quality assess appropriate component parts as required before they enter the manufacturing process, ensuring they are fit for purpose and meet industry and national tolerances and quality standards. |
K9 K10 K12 K13 K15 K18 K19 K22 K30 K33 |
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Duty 7 Use prepared component parts to produce the optical device using correct machinery and tools required for each process or product |
K3 K10 K12 K13 K15 K18 K22 K29 K30 K33
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Duty 8 Undertake the necessary quality checks to ensure that the devices and or components meet the required quality standards. |
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Duty 9 Package and dispatch products to customers. |
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Duty 10 Monitor and report any issues relating to manufacturing equipment, products, tools, consumables or processes to the relevant colleagues, suppliers or companies. |
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Duty 11 Work with colleagues and customers to resolve problems and technical issues, supporting continuous improvement in your role. |
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Duty 12 Meet personal and business targets and goals on an ongoing basis. |
K1: Legislation, and regulated activities within the Optical working environment: data protection regulations, General Optical Council GOC, Health & Safety, industry tolerances and Safeguarding.
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K2: Team working principles.
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K3: Customer types, including personal and business to business.
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K4: Safe systems of work in the optical manufacturing environment, including COSHH, PPE, hazard and risk awareness, manual handling.
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K5: Work based safety incidents: fire evacuation, accidents, near misses, use of emergency equipment, reporting processes.
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K6: Order placing methods, for example online, telephone, face to face, and the components of an order.
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K7: Quality control Identifying, amending and recording order errors and omissions.
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K8: Stock and stock control systems.
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K9: Time management techniques: Planning, prioritising, work scheduling, workflow management.
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K10: Optical equipment: supplier and employer maintenance guidelines including Medical Devices Directive MDD specifications for focimeters.
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K11: Principles of quality management: quality standards, assurance principles and practice. Quality data recording, retaining and storage.
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K12: Optical engraving and marking, including engravings and markings found on safety eyewear and spectacle lenses and the impact on manufacturing and quality requirements.
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K13: Specialised optical products such as safety and sports eyewear, rimless mounts, prisms, mirror tints or Fresnel prisms.
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K14: Supplier and credit return options and guarantees.
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K15: The remake and reject procedures in optical product manufacturing.
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K16: Customer service complaints and their impact.
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K17: Workplace and industry training and development techniques. Managing own Continuous Professional Development CPD.
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K18: Optical tools and equipment used in the optical product manufacturing and repair processes.
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K19: How the eye works: including corrective prescriptions and visual defects.
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K20: The optical manufacturing sector: background, services and future trends.
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K21: Standard operating procedures SOP's.
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K22: Principles of sustainability and circular economy. Energy efficiency and reuse of materials. Recycling procedures. Efficient use of resources.
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K23: Continuous improvement techniques: for example Lean, and 5 S. Sort, set, shine, standardise and sustain.
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K24: Repair practices and techniques in optical environments.
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K25: Automation and digitalisation of optical manufacturing processes and its benefits.
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K26: Communication techniques: verbal and written.
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K27: Calibration tools and equipment used in the optical product manufacturing and repair processes.
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K28: Work instructions including optical prescriptions, manufacturer’s guidance for component parts.
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K29: Manufacturing optical products and component parts: lens, frames and component parts.
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K30: The use of tools and equipment in the manufacture, repair and remake and reject processes of optical products.
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K31: The spectacle technician roles and responsibilities, limits of autonomy and reporting channels.
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K32: Digital technology in the industry: stock management information systems, and equipment digital interfaces.
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K33: Bespoke optical products.
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K34: Internal and external teams, their function and interdependencies.
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S1: Apply health and safety procedures in compliance with regulations and standards.
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S2: Apply team working principles.
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S3: Communicate with colleagues and stakeholders for example, colleagues, managers and the public – verbal, written or electronic. Use industry terminology.
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S4: Identify hazards and risks in the workplace: PPE, COSHH, manual handling.
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S5: Use tools and equipment required to manufacture optical products: lenses, frames and, component parts.
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S6: Identify, organise and use resources to complete tasks, with consideration for cost, quality, priority and environmental impact.
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S7: Calibrate and maintain optical equipment and tools to supplier guidelines and MDD specifications, such as blocker, tracer, lens curve generator, coating equipment or focimeter.
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S8: Apply quality assurance principles and procedures and record outcomes for completed orders.
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S9: Identify products, their classification and any impact on manufacturing or quality, for example engravings on safety glasses, and remarking progressives.
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S10: Monitor stock levels and rotate stock.
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S11: Collect and use data on productivity and quality to improve processes and staff training.
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S12: Prepare component parts for manufacturing or treatment.
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S13: Manufacture component parts to complete the manufacturing or treatment process.
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S14: Use information and digital technology. Comply with data protection, and cyber security regulations and policies.
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S15: Apply standard operating procedures SOPs for optical products.
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S16: Apply repair practices and techniques to optical products.
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S17: Select tools and equipment to manufacture and repair optical products.
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S18: Plan work sequence to support the effective use of time and resources in the manufacturing process.
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S19: Produce customer orders from online, telephone and face to face requests.
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S20: Check and calibrate tools and equipment.
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S21: Interpret work instructions including optical prescriptions, and manufacturer’s guidance for component parts.
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S22: Conducts supplier and credit process.
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S23: Apply safe systems of work and control measures.
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B1: Take personal responsibility for and promote health and safety.
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B2: Take personal responsibility for their own sustainable working practices.
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B3: Act in a professional manner.
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B4: Support an inclusive culture.
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B5: Take responsibility for the quality and time management of own work.
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B6: Seek new ways of working, whilst committing to Continuous Professional Development CPD.
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English and maths qualifications must be completed in line with the apprenticeship funding rules.
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