Dental apprentices who are filling the skills gap across Tyneside and Northumberland are encouraging others to follow suit.
To celebrate National Apprenticeships Week, apprentices from some of the region’s top dental practices took to Newcastle’s Millennium Bridge to fly the flag for skills training and encourage others to think about their route into the industry.
They were joined by trainers and senior staff from Northern Skills Group, which delivers technical apprenticeships for dental practices across the region.
Just one of the dental businesses to work in partnership with Northern Skills Group’s expert team is Amble Dental Practice.
Practice manager Keldine Hunter said: “In dentistry apprenticeships are a fantastic way of simultaneously giving young people a chance to get their foot on the ladder within the industry, while also learning the relevant skills.
“The hands-on format with apprenticeships is suited to our industry as experience is so important in building competency.”
Northern Skills Group, which also offers apprenticeships training in other areas such as accountancy, engineering and business administration, provides programmes that incorporate dental nursing qualifications.
Overall Northern Skills Group works with 1,000 businesses and is responsible for the delivery of 2,000 apprenticeships.
Andrew Robson, executive director at Northern Skills Group, explained dental apprenticeships cover a wide range of skills – including preparing and maintaining surgery environments and supporting the work of dentists and technicians.
Andrew said: “For those looking to get into dentistry, the apprenticeship route is a great way to access the industry.
“You will get to build experience in a real employer setting while learning all the knowledge necessary on which to build a fantastic career.
“Dental practices that want to ensure the next generation of skills is available to their businesses should look to apprenticeships as the solution.
“They are a cost effective way to make sure practices have a competent workforce.”
For more information on how Northern Skills Group can help your business, contact our business advisors on 03453 40 40 40 or info@northernskills.co.uk