AN INNOVATIVE dental healthcare education and training centre has helped Bradford College reach the finals of a prestigious further education award.

It is a finalist in The Association of Colleges (AoC) Beacon Awards, which celebrates the best and most innovative practice among UK further education colleges, in recognition of the work of the college’s Northern Dental Education Centre (NORDEC).

Asa Gordon, assistant principal at Bradford College, said: “We are incredibly proud to have reached the finals for this award. We’re delighted that the college’s work to help provide cutting-edge facilities for the community and train the talented dental healthcare professionals of the future is being nationally recognised.”

The college is in line for the City and Guilds Award for College Engagement with Employers, which seeks to recognise exemplary practice in the delivery of provision responsive to the needs of employers.

Assessors will be visiting the college to find out more about how NORDEC is supporting learners and apprentices in Bradford and helping to develop a skilled dental health workforce. They will tour the state-of-the-art facilities and speak to employers, staff, students and apprentices.

Opened in September 2017, NORDEC offers full time education and apprenticeships, as well as continuous professional development qualifications for the dentistry profession.

One dental practice manager who has worked with NORDEC said: “For the last two years my nurse (who has now qualified) has had exceptional support from all her tutors at college. When I needed another trainee in July 2019, I didn’t hesitate to contact NORDEC… Would I recommend NORDEC? Yes, I would. Their level of commitment is second to none.”

A student undertaking a Level 2 Technical Dental Certificate at NORDEC said: "The course was a very informative insight to dentistry and the situations we would face. I personally think that it has given me an advantage when working in a dental practice as well as progressing to Level 3 which is an apprenticeship in dental nursing."

This is the 25th year of the AoC Beacon Awards and an extra special year in the history of the awards.