Delta Dental’s Workforce Development Program Filling a Need

New Jersey has experienced a significant shortage of dental assistants, radiologists, and hygienists, making it challenging for the dental community to provide consistent care.

To combat this crisis, Delta Dental of New Jersey and Connecticut, through its Foundation, in 2024 launched a statewide workforce development grants program to expand opportunities for educating and recruiting students into dental assisting and other related fields. The company provided more than $1 million to support programs that expanded educational opportunities for students through 16 colleges and community programs in almost every county of the state.

A few highlights of these workforce grants include KinderSmile Foundation’s Workforce Development of Public Health Dentistry Through Career Promotion and Mentorship program, which received $100,000 to support dental assisting students at Mercer County Community College and other dental assisting institutions. The County College of Morris was granted $100,000 to support a program director who is developing the new dental assisting (and dental hygiene) programs at their state-of-the-art Center for Health Professions.

Zufall Health’s Dental Assistant On-the-Job Training program is a workforce development initiative that prepares trainees for entry-level dental assistant positions in a dynamic community health center setting. The Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation funds this tuition-free program, which integrates didactic, clinical, and laboratory components to help trainees master chairside dental assisting and radiology. Trainees are guaranteed full-time positions as dental assistants at Zufall Health upon successful completion of the course and the Dental Assisting National Board’s Radiation Health and Safety exam.

Article sourced from New Jersey Business Magazine.