Business professionals from across the London Borough of Kingston upon Thames attended A Careers Fair hosted for students aged between nine and eleven years old.

At this key stage in the students' academic career, being able to speak to experts in their field proved invaluable for the teenagers.

Supporting the Careers Fair was Sayuri Poonsamy, Specsavers Kingston upon Thames' lead optometrist.

Speaking about the event, Poonsamy said: "We were delighted to be invited to support the Careers Fair, meet the students and provide some insight and guidance into the various career opportunities at Specsavers.

"These days there are many career possibilities, which I am sure can be quite overwhelming when selecting subjects for GCSE and A-level. It was a pleasure to chat to the students about my role, the training involved and the subjects they might need to study to qualify as an optometrist.'

The Careers Fair was attended by businesspeople from a host of sectors, including engineering, finance, healthcare, retail, media, legal and construction.

Deciding which subjects to continue into A-level is important in the post-16 options, so meeting with representatives from a diverse professional background provided insight into different career pathways.

As an organisation, Specsavers says it "invests in staff development, encouraging them to further their qualifications and progress their careers within the group".

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Students who prefer a more blended style of learning can apply for an apprenticeship at Specsavers, which combines formal study with on-the-job training.

The Specsavers Career Pathway offers staff the opportunity to study for industry-recognised qualifications which encompass a wide variety of roles, including customer services, optician, dispensing optician, optical assistant, audiologist, audiology assistant and laboratory technicians.