Dental vocational (foundation) training

Dental Vocational Training (DVT), is organised and administered on a Scotland-wide basis by NHS Education for Scotland (NES). The main components of DVT include: a centralised recruitment process and a standardised training programme designed to help recently qualified dentists make the transition from undergraduate teaching to independent practice.

The DVT Curriculum Competency Framework is organised into four ‘Domains’ of competency, each of which contain a number of ‘Major Competency’ areas within which the individual competency statements are described. An overview of the Domains and Major Competencies within the DVT Competency Framework can be reviewed by clicking on the link below.  

VT Curriculum and Competencies Document 2024

Vocational Training in Scotland 2025/26 - Webinar 

The Dental Team held a webinar on Tuesday, 15^th April 2025 which included representatives from Vocational Training as well as current VDPs offering an insight into the next stage of the recruitment process. 

Trainee Recruitment Section

Recruitment timeline and documents for training year 2026 / 2027 will be made available in due course.

Trainer Recruitment Section

Recruitment timeline and documents for training year 2026 / 2027 will be made available in due course.

Contact us

Recruitment Enquiries

If you have any feedback, comments, concerns or complaints regarding the Dental Recruitment process, please contact us by going to the Service Desk here and submitting a support request.

Training Specific Enquiries

In relation to training specific enquiries please contact the VT Hub at vthub@nes.scot.nhs.uk.