ABDO becomes youth-friendly employer

Clive Marchant receives ABDO’s certificate of membership from Laura-Jane Rawlings

ABDO has achieved the Youth Friendly Employer mark, showing an employer is invested in recruiting and supporting young people. 

This gives a great opportunity for careers in eyecare to be in the spotlight for young people. It will be of benefit to both ABDO and Youth Employment UK in spreading useful careers information in this growing sector.

Laura-Jane Rawlings, CEO at Youth Employment UK, spoke to the ABDO senior team at their annual meeting last week about the benefits of the collaboration. She also handed over ABDO’s certificate of membership to ABDO president, Clive Marchant.

Commenting on the move Nick Walsh, ABDO sector skills development officer, said: “For many younger people, the prospect of choosing a career option can be daunting and sometimes the options presented may not inspire. Within the world of optics, there are so many career options open that people may not be aware of, so working with Youth Employment UK with their amazing reach, including over one million visitors to their website in 2019 by students and parents, will help to make eyecare a new consideration for those who may not have previously thought of this.”

Laura-Jane Rawlings said: “We’re thrilled to be working in partnership with ABDO to encourage young people to find out more about careers in eyecare and eyewear. ABDO’s ongoing strategy to educate and engage young people in the sector demonstrates a real commitment to youth-friendly practice.”

The Youth Friendly Employer Mark is a seal of quality and commitment attributed to employers and organisations who are actively working to provide professional development and opportunities for young people. This move is just one part of ABDO’s ongoing strategy to encourage young people to find out more about careers in eyecare and eyewear.