A brighter future

Working in conjunction with the local council, college and other practices in the City and Canary Wharf, Neil Sikka’s iNSkills initiative will provide disaffected youth of Tower Hamlets the opportunity to learn and work within the dental world. After an 18-month period candidates will graduate with an NVQ level 3 qualification in dental nursing.

The pilot scheme, launched in February 2012, has resulted in sourcing eight trainees from the borough of Tower Hamlets. Tower Hamlet Council’s Skillsmatch, the outreach team with established links in the community, was responsible for sourcing the candidates and will mentor the trainees throughout the duration of the course. Tower Hamlets College will provide the training on a day-release basis and students will gain work experience and valuable on-the-job training for the other four days. Students will benefit from a mentoring scheme to ensure their performance is maintained.

As well as taking on four trainees himself, Neil has been responsible for recruiting other practices to the scheme. The Dental Surgery in the Corn Exchange and Smile Impressions in Canary Wharf have both agreed to be involved in the inaugural launch. The initiative includes a ‘earn as you learn’ element, where students will be paid for their working and college time.