Island Life Magazine Ltd August/September 2016 | Page 93

Fashion, health & beauty

Gary’s sights set
on success
He might have taken some time to fully
commit to his career path – but since
Gary Riggs set his sights on a future in
optics, there’s been no stopping him.
Gary, 30, who first started helping out at Specsavers
in Newport at the age of 13, is now heading off to
university to be a fully-fledged Optometrist, and he
couldn’t be more delighted.
He started off well, working 10 hours a week at
Specsavers in Newport, processing the sight-test
forms and inputting data onto the computer. As he
was so young when he started, he needed a ‘work
permit’ from the Council.
His interest in optics grew, and by the age of 16,
Director Tim Kidd agreed to let him work on the shop
floor and do more hours, adding to his experience. He
also attended in-house training courses, and began
taking a keen interest in lab work, making spectacles.
Gary’s career path looked firmly set in 2004 when
he enrolled as Dispensing Optician with Anglia
Ruskin University – but he completed only a year
before quitting. The following year, he re-started but
quit a second time.
By 2009, however, things had changed: Gary had
settled with his long-term girlfriend, taken on a
mortgage – and had a big motivation to become an
optical professional!
Feeling he’d previously let down Director Tim Kidd,
he wanted to show his commitment by paying for
the first year himself. Tim and Catherine Kidd agreed
to pay for half of his first year and said they’d discuss
second year funding pending first year exam results.
That was the motivation Gary needed: he passed
his first year exam with flying colours – scoring the
highest mark of 99.3 per cent.
After that, his second and third year studies were
fully funded by the Directors and in August 2011,
Gary finally achieved his Foundation degree in
ophthalmic dispensing, with distinction.

In August 2012 he went on to achieve a 1st class
BSc degree with honours, qualifying as a Dispensing
Optician and gaining his FBDO qualification (Fellow
of British Dispensing Opticians).
In July 2013, he won ‘Contact lens student of the
year’, for scoring the highest coursework mark, then
in February 2014 qualified as contact lens optician,
and the same month was awarded the BCLA (British
Contact Lens Association) prize for highest mark in
practical exams.
In September last year, Gary enrolled on Optometry
career progression via Bradford University, converting
the CLO qualification to be an Optometrist – and in
December, was accepted onto the course that will
take him off to University for a year from September.
“Gary has achieved some amazing results after
a couple of stumbled attempts in his youth” says
Catherine Kidd. “He’s a real asset to us”.

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