Specsavers will open an office in Jersey in order to fill vacancies in its in-house digital creative team.
The company is in negotiations to take over space in the Digital Jersey Hub later this year to employ up to eight people. As well as an office manager, Specsavers is currently recruiting for web and graphic designers, and web developers.
Specsavers looked at a number of options for filling vacancies in its digital creative team after struggling to recruit suitable people in Guernsey and decided opening an office in Jersey was the most viable solution.
Creative director Graham Daldry says: 'We currently employ almost 50 Guernsey-based creatives and naturally we would much prefer to fill these positions locally. Unfortunately there are very few islanders with the relevant high level digital skills, so we have been forced to look beyond our shores.’
Specsavers Creative is responsible for all the company’s award-winning advertising in the UK and Northern Europe, as well as its online presence, with the fastest expanding area being digital design and programming. It is the largest employer of creative talent in the Channel Islands and won numerous industry awards in 2015.
Specsavers has started the recruitment process in Jersey and hopes to have the office up and running in the next few months.
The company is also committed to developing talent in Guernsey and has set up a creative academy. This will provide a unique opportunity for two local students to join its creative department and receive on-the-job training in the skills they need to succeed in the creative industries.
‘This is a fantastic opportunity for two young people to get started in their creative career. Over nine months the students will learn from experienced professionals in a real-world environment and will be paid while they’re doing it,’ said Richard James, Specsavers Creative’s head of concept.
‘It’s a great thing for Guernsey and will allow talented young people to get valuable, relevant training without having to leave the island.’
The scheme will start in September and anyone interested in the scheme can apply from Friday 8 January on jobs.specsavers.co.uk.
‘Having talked to applicants for the apprenticeship scheme we run, we know there are talented, very capable young people in the island and we want to give them a chance to develop,’ said Mr James.
‘We also know that going to university is expensive and that joining an advertising or design agency in the UK is simply not practical for many people. This scheme offers a real alternative to traditional routes into the industry and is something we believe is unique to Guernsey.
Anyone interested in any of the roles can apply online at jobs.specsavers.co.uk.
