Jono Roach-Ellis and Sarah Shahvandian have become the first Specsavers graduates. (0654835)

SPECSAVERS has produced its first  graduates.

Jono Roach-Ellis and Sarah Shahvandian have spent two years moving around the business to see how it operates. After three-month stints working in areas such as finance, business development, retail, human resources and product development, the pair have now settled into full-time positions in the commercial department.

‘Nothing was off limits to us on the Graduate Choice programme. If we wanted to do something, we were allowed to and we were given the support that we needed,’ said Ms Shahvandian.

‘I was lucky to be accepted for the scheme and I felt I was making a tangible contribution to the business while moving around the different departments.  Looking back, it was a challenging experience, but also an enjoyable one as our colleagues were keen to integrate us into the Specsavers social culture.’

Mr Roach-Ellis worked in a Specsavers retail outlet on a full- and part-time basis in the UK before joining the programme. He said he was able to hit the ground running and draw on his retail skills while working in the commercial department.