Have your say on Skills for Health’s review of the Welsh L3 Dental Nursing Apprenticeship Pathway

Do you work within the dental sector in Wales? If so, @SkillsforHealth need your input this National Apprenticeship Week #NAW2021, as they open a public consultation on the review of the Level 3 Dental Nursing Apprenticeship Pathway for Wales, on behalf of the Welsh Government.

The role of the Dental Nurse is key in the dental team caring for patients, and currently there are approximately 2880 Dental Nurses in Wales, with an increasing number being trained each year. This apprenticeship pathway review will ensure that it is up to date and fit for purpose to meet the needs of the dental nursing role throughout the country.

Dawn Probert, Senior Consultant and Framework Project Manager, Skills for Health said: ‘’If you work within the dental sector in Wales, it’s important we have your feedback on the revised pathway, as it will provide a much-needed quality training route for registered Dental Nurses. It will also facilitate dental nursing career opportunities with the achievement of accredited, transferable knowledge and skills, which is vital for the future of dental services in Wales.’’

Skills for Health are working together with a range of sector stakeholders from across Wales, including dental employers, training providers, the Welsh Government, Qualifications Wales, and Health Education and Improvement Wales.

The revised pathway provides quality assured training to achieve the qualified standard required by the General Dental Council, the regulatory body that dental nurses must be registered with in order to practice once qualified. Further to this, it supports the vision of the sector to develop an increasingly skilled, flexible, and effective dental nursing workforce, whilst maintaining high quality and safe patient-centred care. It also provides a positive route for attracting and retaining staff into the dental nursing role.

So, if you are a dental nurse, an apprentice in training, a dental employer, a training provider, an Awarding Body, an assessor, or other dental stakeholder in Wales, ensure the apprenticeship reflects what is needed in your sector by having your say with Skills for Health’s short survey in English here, and in Welsh here.

The survey will be live until Sunday 7th March 2021, and only takes 10-15 minutes to complete. Once closed, the results will be analysed, all feedback considered, and presented to the framework Steering Group and Welsh Government. This is your opportunity to help shape the dental workforce and to contribute to raising the profile of careers in our health sector.