Dental Assistant Traineeship Initiative program

Looking for a career that will help people smile?

We are supporting up to 100 Victorians to complete free industry-backed training along with the opportunity to apply their new skills in a 12-month job placement with DHSV’s public dental community agencies, where you will be employed as a trainee dental assistant in the Victorian public oral health sector.

Our partnership with Jobs Victoria is an exciting opportunity to start a career in the public oral health sector and complete your Certificate III in Dental Assisting along the way, giving you a qualification that you can build your future career on.

We are looking for motivated candidates who would like to earn while you learn, with full-time and part-time opportunities available at many community agency locations across the state.

If you are ready for a career change, we are backing you to succeed.

Apply now

What is a dental assistant, and what will you be doing day-to-day?

Dental assistants are an integral part of the dental team. They are advocates for improving oral health in the community and educate their patients on the importance of maintaining good oral health.

Some duties of a dental assistant include:

  • providing dentists and oral health therapists with chairside support in the clinic
  • maintaining and operating dental surgery equipment
  • educating patients on the importance of oral health
  • performing hygiene, sterilisation and infection control procedures
  • maintaining patient medical records
  • coordinating dental appointments
  • dental clinic administration tasks.

Following completion of a Certificate III in Dental Assisting, you have a number of options for continuing your education and further developing your career.

Continue your education with Certificate IV Dental Assisting

  • Dental Assistant Coach
  • Oral Health Educator
  • Senior Dental Assistant
  • Dental Assistant Team Leader/ Manager
  • Dental Assistant Student Preceptors

Certificate IV in Training and Assessment

  • Dental Assistant lecturer

Further Certificates in Management or on the job training

  • Practice Coordinator
  • Practice Management
  • Workforce Scheduler

Further Higher Education Courses

  • Oral Health Therapist
  • Dentist
  • Dental Specialist