Dental vocational (foundation) training

Dental Vocational Training (DVT)

Trainee Recruitment

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 (Reviewed 2022)

Vocational Training in Scotland 2024/25 - Webinar 

The Dental VT team at NES is delivering a webinar for applicants to training year 2024/25 on the 19th September which will provide information on the recruitment process & training in Scotland. 

The link to join on teams is here.

A Webinar about DVT Recruitment in Scotland was held on 20th September 2022.  

The recording of that webinar is available here.  

Slides presented during the webinar can be accessed here. Please note there is one correction on slide 19.

Trainee Recruitment 

Recruitment for Training year 2024/2025 has now commenced. Applications opened on Oriel on 13th September 2023 and close on 18th October 2023. To apply, please click here  

Recruitment Timeline 

*Please note all above dates are subject to change 

DVT Information Booklet 2024

DVT Person Specification 2024

NES 2023-2024 DVT Applicant Guide 

Please note, the below guidance is currently under review for 2024 recruitment and will be published shortly. Please use it as reference only. 

DVT Structured Reference Form 2023-2024 

PDS and GDP training information 

Trainee Guidance Visitation Period 2023 Recruitment posts commencing August 2023 **** 

Vocational Training Allowances are determined within the Statement of Dental Remuneration on the Scottish Dental website. Any details, including VT Salary information, can be found here Statement of Dental Remuneration | Scottish Dental

Becoming a Dental Vocational Trainer

Trainer Recruitment Timetable 

Applications will be made via our online portal, a link will be made available here by the opening date.

VT Trainer Advert for Training Year 2024/25, please note trainer criteria will be available by 16th October 2023.

You can find below our guidance documents used for recruitment to posts commencing in August 2023, however be advised these are for reference only for those applying to posts commencing in August 2024.

Criteria for Trainers

Becoming a Vocational Trainer Booklet

Becoming a Vocational Trainer FAQs

A webinar for prospective new trainers took place on Monday 21/11/2022 at 7pm

To watch the webinar, click here

If you have any queries in relation to the application process, please contact the Trainee Service team using the contact link below: 

 https://nesdigital.atlassian.net/servicedesk/customer/portal/30   

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.