A HIGH-FLYING spectacle maker at a Birkenhead opticians has a golden career in sight after becoming one of the youngest lab managers in the UK and gaining his industry\u2019s highest qualification.<\/p>\n
Phil McEvoy, who works at Specsavers in Pyramids Shopping Centre, said he wasn’t put off by some short-sighted people who believed his career horizons were limited by not going on to university when he left school.<\/p>\n
He believes his latest achievements have put a whole new perspective on things after he landed his top possible qualification and was promoted to run his own department – all at the tender age of 23.<\/p>\n
Phil is celebrating becoming one of a select band from across the UK to obtain the Level 4 Diploma for Optical Technicians, which is widely recognised as the gold standard for the industry.<\/p>\n
Administered by the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers (WCSM) the qualification is tailored to the needs of those who aspire to become senior technicians and supervisors and, on average, only 40 of the coveted diplomas are presented each year.<\/p>\n
Phil, who lives in Wallasey and has worked at Specsavers since 2010, explained that gaining the accolade meant two years of hard study, much of which had to be done at home after working a full day in the lab.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cIt was pretty hard going but well worth doing because there aren\u2019t many people who manage to gain the diploma.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough I did do some block release, most of the study had to be done after work. There were all sorts of aspects to it, much of it based on mathematical calculations.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the end of the first year of the course there were three exams to do for which I had to travel down to London and the second year finished with more exams in Cardiff, actually six of them in just one day.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m glad to say I passed them all with flying colours and now I\u2019m one of the few people in my industry to hold the diploma.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were 20 people on my particular course and only about half of them managed to pass, which makes me feel very proud.<\/p>\n
\u201cI went down to the WCSM\u2019s headquarters near Tower Bridge in London to be presented with the diploma which was a very special moment for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gaining the diploma has further enhanced Phil\u2019s reputation at Specsavers where his ability has seen him rise from trainee technician to manager of a four-strong lab department in just three years.<\/p>\n
But he is also proud to have proved his doubters wrong by excelling in his career, despite choosing not to go to university.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome people suggested to me when I was in sixth form that if I didn\u2019t go to university, then I wasn\u2019t going to amount to anything,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI spent a couple of years working in a local solicitors\u2019 office and then when I was looking for a fresh challenge I was lucky enough to get the job at Specsavers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to think that the progress I have managed to make with the company in just three years and now obtaining the Level 4 Diploma has helped me to prove the doubters wrong and to make my own mark.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always had great support from my family and friends and everyone is made up for me about the qualification.\u201d<\/p>\n
Phil, who spends what little spare time he has playing five-a-side football with his friends at the Soccer Dome on the Wirral, is in charge of three other lab technicians who produce spectacles for Specsavers\u2019 branches at Pyramids Shopping Centre and Wallasey.<\/p>\n
Both are run by director Ken Roberts, who said of Phil: \u201cThe qualification he\u2019s job obtained is the highest you can get in the industry and we\u2019re all very proud of him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s worked very hard and we\u2019ve supported him all the way. He\u2019s a very bright lad and one of the best lab technicians we\u2019ve ever had.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom his first day on the job I recognised that he wasn\u2019t just trying to learn the technical side of it but also had an eye on running the department.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ken explained that one of Phil\u2019s key responsibilities is overseeing the smooth operation of the branch\u2019s state-of-the-art robotic lens edger, which Specsavers became only the second opticians in the country to acquire when it took delivery 18 months ago.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cThe machine is not only remarkably accurate – producing lenses to a tolerance of less than half of one millimetre \u2013 but also super-efficient.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we installed this piece of equipment it replaced four other machines and is capable of doing all the work they did along with much more.<\/p>\n
\u201cApart from all his other duties, Phil is also responsible for making sure the edger is being used properly and he does it remarkably well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chris Maughan, examinations administrator for the Worshipful Company of Optical Technicians, based at Apothecaries Hall in London, said: \u201cWe\u2019d like to congratulate Phil McEvoy on obtaining the Level 4 Diploma, which is the main qualification we offer.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a very tough academic course and, on average, only about 40 people a year manage to achieve it.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n