A workforce idea shaped by sixteen years inside the profession.
FRAME Virginia began with a simple observation: opticianry can be a strong licensed career, but the route into it is far less visible than it should be.
Sean Gillaspie
Founder, FRAME Virginia Inc.
Working in optical since 2010
Licensed optician • ABO Certified
B.A. candidate in Public Policy and Leadership — University of Virginia Frank Batten School
info@framevirginia.org
The opportunity is hiding in plain sight.
Optical employers already meet people who could become excellent opticians. Virginia already has apprenticeship, technical education, and licensure. What is often missing is one clear bridge between those pieces.
FRAME Virginia was created to become the coordination bridge: a Registered Apprenticeship intermediary model connecting employer participation, approved instruction, workforce support, and licensure through one clearer pathway.
The first focus is opticianry in Charlottesville and Central Virginia: a profession with an existing pathway and a real opportunity to make professional advancement more accessible and repeatable.