“Work & Training does a great job taking care of all the administrative stuff, which opens me up to focus on other parts of the business.”
– Robert Dallas, Dental Laboratory Manager, Oral Health Services
Robert Dallas applied for an apprenticeship with Oral Health Services in 2011.
“I think it was in the newspaper. My mum saw it in there and she thought ‘Oh, you’d be good at that!’” Robert laughs.
“I had a bit of a crack at university, but decided it wasn’t what I wanted to be doing. I worked in a retail for a short time and then this came up.”
As a Dental Technician, Robert creates technical appliances from prescriptions including partial and complete dentures, mouthguards, splints and orthodontic devices.
Dentistry was not a career path that Robert had originally envisioned for himself.
“I think a lot of people ask ‘How did you get involved in dental tech? Through family?’ But a lot of people like me kind of just fall into it.”
As he progressed through his apprenticeship, Robert began to see the value of his work.
“I feel like it’s a rare privilege to be working in an occupation where the goal is about improving the clients’ quality of life” he explains.
“Restoring the function and the aesthetics of people can have a pretty profound impact not only on people’s health but also their self-confidence. Believing in yourself is a big thing.”
The same Work & Training Consultant who supported Robert through his apprenticeship is now working with Oral Health Services’ new apprentice.
“My Consultant Kylie is now supporting me as the contact for our current apprentice who is training in my footsteps” he says.
“If I was managing an apprentice myself, it would probably be a lot more stressful. Work & Training does a great job taking care of all the administrative stuff, which opens me up to focus on other parts of the business.”
Robert Dallas – Dental Laboratory Manager, Oral Health Services
Thinking about a career in Community and Health? Find out how Work & Training can get you started.