11 April 2019

According to the Australian Government’s Job Outlook, the number of Dental Assistants grew strongly over the past five years and is expected to grow over the next five years from 26,600 in 2018 to 28,400 by 2023. There are likely to be around 16,000 job openings over five years – that is about 3,200 a year.

Janelle Dunn, an Elsmore resident who recently completed a Certificate III in Dental Assisting with TAFE Digital, plans to work in the industry when she finishes her high school curriculum in June of this year, which she has been doing via a homeschooling programme.

“I chose this course because my mother and two of my friends have worked as dental assistants and I enjoy the work very much,” said Ms Dunn. “This particular online course was also highly recommended by both my friends who have studied with TAFE Digital.”

“I am still at high school, so I haven’t formally started my career and this course has definitely improved my knowledge,” said Ms Dunn.

Ms Dunn was inspired to study online as she could work at her own pace and set time aside to catch up on assignments if she got a bit behind. “The support I got from teaching staff was tremendous,” said Ms Dunn. “They willingly answered my questions and did a good job of keeping me on track to make sure I met deadlines.”

This nationally accredited qualification has helped Ms Dunn become more competent in the part-time work she does at Danthonia Healthcare in Inverell. “It’s a tremendous opportunity working at the dental practice, as I am becoming more familiar with the different dental procedures,” she said.

“I especially enjoyed the course units that covered anatomy, mixing different materials and the uses of a wide variety of instruments.”

For Ms Dunn the best aspect about studying with TAFE Digital was that she could do the entire course online. “This eliminated long-distance commutes as I live out on a farm in regional Australia,” said Ms Dunn. “I would recommend this course to anyone in a similar situation to me who wishes to study from the comfort of their own home.”

TAFE Digital is now accepting enrolments for hundreds of great online courses. For more information, please visit https://www.tafensw.edu.au/digital or phone 131 601.

Media contact: Bonny Gunn, TAFE Digital Media Business Partner. M 0417 134 048.