Are you struggling to recruit skilled dental nurses, find effective dental practice managers, or retain your valuable team members? You’re not alone. Dental practices across the UK face growing challenges with recruitment and retention, with workforce shortages and increasing patient demand to tight compliance regulations and the rising cost of recruitment.
Apprenticeships offer a strategic, cost-effective solution to these pressures. Whether you’re looking to bring in new talent or upskill your existing team, dental apprenticeships can help you build a resilient, high-performing practice. You can also learn more about apprenticeship funding options for employers to see how this can work for your budget.
What Are Dental Apprenticeships?
Dental apprenticeships combine on-the-job experience with structured, accredited training that fits around your busy day-to-day schedule. Apprentices work in your practice while gaining a recognised qualification, allowing you to grow talent tailored to your needs. For a breakdown of how to use the Apprenticeship Levy effectively, we’ve got a step-by-step guide. To explore our specific dental apprenticeship pathways, see our dental sector overview.
There’s no upper age limit for apprenticeships, and they’re suitable for both:
- New hires
- Existing staff looking to upskill or take on new responsibilities
At Poultec, we offer apprenticeships ranging from Level 2 to Level 5, allowing you to build a full development pathway within your team.
The Benefits of Apprenticeships for Your Dental Practice
Address Workforce Shortages
Build a pipeline of qualified talent from within. No more repeated recruitment cycles or agency fees. Apprenticeships help you secure motivated, trained staff who understand your practice. See how other practices have benefited in our National Apprenticeship Week learner stories.
Cost-Effective Training
- Non-levy payers (annual pay bill less than £3 million): Pay just 5% of the training cost — the government covers the other 95%.
- Levy payers (annual pay bill more than £3 million): Use your levy pot before funds expire, with a 10% government top-up.
- £1,000 incentive payments are available for employers who take on apprentices aged 16–18 or aged between 19 and 24 for care leavers or those with an education, health and care (EHC) plan.
Improve Dental Staff Retention
Apprentices feel invested in and valued. They’re more likely to stay with your practice long term, helping reduce turnover and maintain continuity for patients.
Raise Quality and Compliance
Apprenticeships ensure your team has up-to-date skills and knowledge, supporting:
- CQC compliance
- Patient care standards
- In-house leadership capacity
Succession Planning
Develop future leaders from within. From receptionist to dental nurse to practice manager, our apprenticeship pathways support career progression at every level. Explore our apprenticeships for dental practices.
Boost Practice Culture
A learning-focused environment attracts driven individuals and supports a positive team culture.
Who Can You Train?
We offer dental apprenticeships to support a range of essential roles:
- Level 3 Dental Nurse
- Level 4 Dental Practice Manager
- Level 4 Oral Health Practitioner
- Level 2 Customer Service Practitioner
- Level 3 Business Administrator
- Level 5 Operations Manager
These programmes cover front-of-house, clinical, and leadership roles, ensuring every part of your practice is supported.
How It Works
Working with Poultec is simple:
- We help you identify your needs (new hire or existing staff upskilling).
- We offer free dental recruitment for apprentices if you’re hiring.
- We handle all training, reviews, and assessments.
- You benefit from ongoing support to ensure success.
Funding Made Simple
Understanding apprenticeship funding can be confusing, but we make it easy:
Non-Levy Employers (annual pay bill less than £3 million)
- 95% of training costs funded by the government
- You pay just 5% (0% in some cases, for apprentices 16–21 years old or aged 22–24 who are care leavers or have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan.)
- There are also levy transfer options, allowing large employers to cover training costs for SMEs with their unused levy funds.
Levy Employers (annual pay bill more than £3 million)
- Use your levy pot to fund training
- Get a 10% top-up into your Apprenticeship Service account from the government
- Spend on apprenticeships to avoid losing unused levy funds after 24 months
Real-World Impact
“The training programs are comprehensive, engaging, and tailored to meet our specific needs. Thanks to Poultec, our team has gained valuable skills and confidence, leading to significant improvements in our performance. We highly recommend Poultec to any organisation looking to enhance their workforce’s capabilities.”
– Practice Manager, Together Dental, Norwich.
Poultec Training supports dental practices across the East of England (Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire) and the wider UK, including NHS, mixed, and private providers. Whether you’re based in the East of England or beyond, we’re here to help you grow your team and improve practice efficiency and patient care through apprenticeships.
Get Started
Contact us today for a free consultation on how apprenticeships can work for your dental practice.
