Dental practice committed to training young talent in running for coveted award
Bridge Dental Care’s treatment co-ordinator Sue Pipe with current and former apprentices Katherine Allsopp, Jessica Woods and Emily Heggie.
When Bridge Dental Care in Newbridge, near Caerphilly, was looking to expand, it decided to recruit young people into its team through the Apprenticeship programme.
The practice, which employs 16 staff members and now has two apprentices working towards an Apprenticeship in Dental Nursing, is in contention to win a major award at the Apprenticeship Awards Cymru 2015.
Bridge Dental Care is one of three finalists in the Small Employer of the Year category at the high profile awards ceremony to be held at the Celtic Manor Resort, Newport on Thursday, October 29.
The coveted awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of those who have exceeded expectations, shown a dynamic approach to training and demonstrated initiative, enterprise, innovation, creativity and commitment to the improvement of skills development for the Welsh economy.
Jointly organised by the Welsh Government and the National Training Federation for Wales (NTfW), the awards are sponsored by Pearson PLC and media partner is Media Wales. The Apprenticeship Programme, led by the Welsh Government, is supported by the European Social Fund.
Sue Pipe, treatment co-ordinator at Bridge Dental Care, said: “We aim to be at the cutting edge of dentistry so ongoing training and development is fundamental to us.
“We need a team which is flexible, quick to adapt and with good communication skills. Dental nurses may be the first point of contact so these skills are essential.
“The Apprenticeship programme is perfect as it offers personal skills training in addition to the nursing qualification. Our training provider, Aspiration Training, is excellent, offering interactive, fun training sessions that are second to none.”
“I am pleased with the patient care shown by the Apprentices, their talents are evident by the many compliments we receive. We have been able to widen and improve our services and we have also been able to increase our hours to better accommodate specific requirements from our patients.”
She is now recommending the Apprenticeship programme to other practices looking to recruit staff.
Chris Cogger, from Aspiration Training, part of the Vocational Skills Partnership (VSP) consortium, said: “Bridge Dental Care is dedicated to working with their apprentices. They have opportunities to work in various fields of dentistry and with different dentists to give them the broadest skill base.”
Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology Julie James congratulated Bridge Dental Care and the other 36 award finalists. “We have some truly exceptional apprentices here in Wales and the Apprenticeship Awards Cymru provide a perfect platform for us to celebrate their hard work and achievements,” she said.
“Equally important are the training providers and employers who go the extra mile to support their apprentices. Developing skilled young people is vital for our economy. The Welsh Government is committed to training programmes such as Apprenticeships but investment must be a shared responsibility with the education sector, businesses and individuals.”
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