Learning later in life, and loving it - Deborah's upskilling journey

We’re shining a light on the inspiring journey of Deborah Mobbs, who works in a technical role within our Vision Labs manufacturing facility in Kidderminster. After 25 years at Vision Labs, Deborah decided to take on a new challenge: completing an apprenticeship to upskill, strengthen her project management abilities, and continue growing within her role. Her story is a brilliant example of how development opportunities at Specsavers are open to everyone, no matter your age, experience, or where you are in your career.

“If you’d told me 25 years ago that I’d be doing an apprenticeship in continuous improvement, in a technical role, and loving every minute of it, I probably would’ve laughed. But here I am, proving to myself (and hopefully others) that it’s never too late to learn something new.

Before Specsavers - where it all started

Before joining Specsavers, my background was working in a chemist, also at a photography pioneer developing photos - years before camera phones existed when you had to wait days to find out whether your holiday snaps were any good! Eventually, I decided it was time for a change of pace and “escaped to the country,” settling just outside Kidderminster.

That’s when Vision Labs entered my life. I applied to be an operator, but because I’d previously worked as a senior sales assistant and department manager, I was offered a team leader role. I didn’t expect to find a long-term home here. But 25 years later, here I still am.

My role at Vision Labs

These days, you’ll find me in a much more technical role. I support our production colleagues, carry out product testing for Specsavers Optical Group, and work on implementing new processes, projects and machinery.

It’s hands-on, varied and constantly evolving - and that’s exactly what I love about it.

Why I decided to upskill through an apprenticeship

The apprenticeship I’m doing is called the Improvement Practitioner course. It focuses on continuous improvement - how to plan and implement projects, risk assessments, process charts, and how to evaluate and maintain changes after they go live.

It all started during a 1-1 with my manager when we were talking about my progression. Most training at the time was geared towards team leaders, but I was in a support role, so when this apprenticeship was introduced and opened to all levels, it felt like the perfect opportunity.

Specsavers fully funds the 12–15 month programme, which made it even more appealing. I didn’t think there’d be anything like this that applied to me, so discovering it existed was a wonderful surprise.

Balancing work and study

I’m given one day a week to work from home and focus purely on my apprenticeship studies. One of the best parts is that I get to implement a real project in my own department - meaning I can measure the success of something I’ve designed and see it come to life.

The support has been brilliant. My colleagues, my manager, and the apprenticeship coaches are all incredibly encouraging. We have regular reviews, check-ins and guidance whenever we need it.

Learning later in life (and loving it!)

A few of us taking this apprenticeship are doing it later in life, and there’s absolutely no stigma around that. In fact, it’s empowering. I’ve been at Vision Labs for 25 years, and I’m still discovering new ways to develop my skills.

Even something like learning Excel in more depth has made a huge difference to my day-to-day work.

Why I’d recommend it to anyone, at any age

I’d recommend an apprenticeship to absolutely anyone. The way it’s broken down into 12 relaxed, manageable modules means it never feels overwhelming. And you’re never on your own; there’s loads of support, and you’re always surrounded by others going through the same thing who you can relate to.

My advice? Go for it. You’ve got nothing to lose and so much to gain.

What it’s done for my career

This apprenticeship has boosted my confidence massively. It’s helped me understand how to present my projects more effectively, collect and analyse data in better ways, and organise improvement work so it makes a real impact.

It’s helped me not only continue doing what I do - but do it better".