Dental Assisting Traineeship
HLT35021 – Certificate III in Dental Assisting
Kickstart your career as a dental assistant with a paid traineeship
Are you someone who is looking to make a difference in the lives of others? Dental assistants play a critical role in helping patients maintain good oral health, and a traineeship can be a rewarding way to make a positive impact on people’s lives.
Working as a dental assistant, you will assist dentists, hygienists and therapists with a variety of dental and oral health procedures. You will prepare and process dental instruments, liaise with patients, develop x-rays, order dental materials and manage dental stock and supplies. In addition to this, you will also perform a number of general office duties, assisting with practice administration
Like all skills in the healthcare sector, people with qualifications as a dental assistant are always sought after, making for a secure career choice.
Completion of this Certificate III and traineeship will make you eligible to apply for roles in private dental practices (including specialist practices such as orthodontics) and public dental practices (like community health centres).
Completion Time
- Full time: 1 year
- Part time: 2 years
Career Outcomes
- Dental assistant
- Dental nurse
- Dental administrator
- Dentist practice manager
Earn while you learn with East Coast Apprenticeships
East Coast Apprenticeships combines both theory and practical on-site skills learning. Our approach is to directly employ potential trainees such as yourself by placing you with ‘Host Employers’ which are usually local, small to medium sized businesses. You will work and train under the supervision of an experienced professional upon placement with a Host Employer.
When you commence employment with us, you will be officially signed up as a trainee dental assistant with a Training Contract which is nationally recognised.
Whilst you are working on-site, you will earn an hourly wage. Your wages will depend on several factors, such as your age and your level of education. Your wages may increase with each completed year of your traineeship.
You may like to visit the Pay and Conditions Tool on the Fair Work Ombudsman website to get an idea of pay rates associated with dental traineeships.
In addition to your paid work placement, you will need to complete 10 Units of Competency via online study. Successfully passing these modules is necessary to obtaining your Certificate III. Your study can be self-paced to suit your schedule.
What skills does it take to successfully complete a dental assistance traineeship?
- Highly organised and detail oriented
- Good dexterity skills and hand-eye coordination
- Confident communicator
- Strong listening skills in order to follow specific instructions in an efficient and accurate manner
- Have a compassionate attitude and a desire to help others
- Must be comfortable assisting dental practitioner with oral procedures
- High level of personal presentation
- Mature minded
What are the costs of enrolling?
There are no costs involved in being employed as an East Coast trainee – instead you get paid during your traineeship
Student fees may apply for the enrolment in the necessary theory modules and to attend classes at your designated SRTO. However, upon successful completion of these modules, you will be fully reimbursed for all fees.
Units of Competency
To obtain your Certificate III in Dental Assisting, you must complete 10 Units of Competency comprised of:
- 8 core units
- 2 elective units.
Click here to view the elective and core Units of Competency.
You will also be required to undertake 350 hours of vocational placement in an approved setting to obtain your Certificate III which will be carried out as part of your traineeship.
How do I apply?
To apply for an exciting career in dentistry and to start earning while you learn, visit the Apply Now page.
Applying online is mobile friendly but you will need to submit a resume. If you don’t have access to your resume on your mobile at the time of application, please upload it later to your profile.
Why should you choose East Coast Apprenticeships?
East Coast Apprenticeships is a community-based, not for profit organisation which has been in operation since 1988. We take pride in our workmanship and strive for a reputation of integrity and providing the highest level of guidance and support to all our apprentices and trainees.
Our Point of Difference:
As one of Queensland’s largest Group Training Organisations we are more likely to be able to rotate you to different employers to either keep you working in your trade or provide you greater exposure to the full scope of the trade as well as develop a wider set of skills by learning from different tradesmen. Throughout your traineeship you will also establish a number of contacts within the industry to enhance your prospects within the sector upon completion of your traineeship.
Pastoral Care:
Finally, as a Group Training Organisation, East Coast Apprenticeships offers a unique service of “Pastoral Care” to apprentices and trainees. The value of Pastoral Care offered to students is that they are nurtured and supported by experienced Field Officers who foster encouragement, a positive influence, improved decision-making skills and increased self-esteem by ensuring each apprentice is making strong progress within their apprenticeship and supporting them through any challenges.
Click here to read more about our Pastoral Care policy.
East Coast offices providing management / support are located at:
- Brisbane North (Strathpine)
- Brisbane South (Upper Mount Gravatt)
- Sunshine Coast (Maroochydore)
- Bundaberg
- Hervey Bay
Talk to the team at East Coast Apprenticeships.
Do you have some questions about whether a Certificate III in Dental Assisting is right for you, or how our paid traineeships work? Simply fill out the form below and we’ll get back to you.