In just over a year, Chloe Nicole Campbell from Leeds has progressed from being a junior apprentice in her first job, to an Operations Assistant forging a career in the dental industry.

Chloe, 19, works at the Genix Healthcare Headquarters in Leeds. Genix Healthcare owns and operates a chain of dental clinics throughout the UK providing NHS dentistry and affordable private dentistry, with a vision to keep ‘the wants and needs of local communities at the forefront of [their] work’.

Chloe joined Genix in April 2011. With eight GCSEs and halfway through sixth form, she was eager to get into the working world and decided to leave school for an apprentice opportunity at Real Time Training, an agency in Leeds ... which led to her current job at Genix.

When she was at school, Chloe had always wanted to be a PE teacher.

‘My favourite subject was sport and I was particularly good at athletics and dancing. I thought that one day I might be good enough to perform in the West End as a dancer ... but it's a tough industry.

‘Apart from PE my favourite subject was performing arts – always the drama queen! I enjoyed media studies too.’

While she was still at school, Chloe had a part-time job as a party planning assistant at a children's play centre.

‘You could say it was a baptism of fire into the working world,’ says Chloe. ‘I can't say that I relished the job but it was certainly a learning curve on how to think on your feet, lead an unruly bunch and respond to unexpected situations!’

Chloe recognised early on that if she left school, she would need to secure an apprentice role to gain upfront experience. She liked the idea of becoming a dental nurse and Real Time Training secured her first ever interview with Genix.

‘Naturally I felt very nervous about my first interview. The interviewer at Genix was very reassuring and friendly but I didn't expect to secure a job first time.’

Chloe had other interviews lined up, but when she was offered a role at Genix, she snapped it up.

‘I was delighted with the offer because it was my first interview but also because the role felt like a great opportunity.’

Chloe describes her first day as a Genix employee as a ‘total blur’.

‘This was my first experience of a full time job and I was exhausted trying to take it all in. Looking back I received a very structured induction as part of my apprentice programme.’

Genix prides itself on a ‘family-orientated’ culture and Chloe found her new colleagues very friendly and helpful from day one. The head office in Leeds manages the 24 (and counting) dental clinics around the UK; Chloe noted that ‘the set up was very professional and bigger than I thought’.

I was delighted with the offer because it was my first interview but also because the role felt like a great opportunity.

Being in an office based role, Chloe was not introduced to the dental environment for some time. To begin with, she was responsible for managing the head office's reception area on her own.

‘I learned quickly how to work under my own initiative,’ says Chloe. ‘I had the opportunity to develop procedures of my own. Meeting and greeting visitors helped to build my confidence and this initial reception role gave me the chance to learn about the business.’

Chloe was trained by the head of Human Resources and enrolled on an NVQ Level 2 course in business administration, which she completed in just five months and followed with an NVQ Level 2 in customer service.

‘The training is built into my job at Genix and I was allocated time to complete course work in the office,’ explains Chloe. ‘I was fortunate that I could complete coursework during working hours although I did do some research and learning at home too as I was keen to progress.’

Recognising Chloe's potential and enthusiasm to learn, within no time Genix promoted her to Operations Assistant. In this role Chloe is responsible for managing supplies to each dental clinic including stationery, clinical items, marketing materials and uniforms and has to make sure that all dental practices adhere to Genix's strong brand image at all times [illustrated in this article].

As Operations Assistant Chloe also has to manage practices' productivity and collate Units of Dental Activity (UDA) performance for Genix management.

‘I support the whole team including procurement, clinical, operations, business development and the managing director,’ says Chloe.

In her expanded role, Chloe receives ongoing training from the Head of Operations.

‘Training is critical to my apprenticeship and I embrace the opportunity to keep learning whilst in a full time job. I want to progress in my career as much as possible.’

Training is critical to my apprenticeship and I embrace the opportunity to keep learning whilst in a full time job. I want to progress in my career as much as possible.

Since being promoted, Chloe now visits Genix dental practices regularly in order to manage stock supply and collate performance figures. She comments: ‘Some of the practices I visit are the busiest in the country serving thousands of patients, so it can often get hectic’.

Chloe's induction into dentistry has influenced her own views on visiting the dentist.

‘Going to the dentist was certainly not something I would look forward to,’ she admits. ‘Working in dentistry has most definitely changed my opinion as Genix is a world apart from a traditional practice and feels very welcoming.’

As she is in charge of stock, Chloe often receives products to trial and takes them home for her friends and family to use. ‘It's good to gather feedback for new products on the market,’ she says.

Chloe's family were delighted when she was offered the apprenticeship at Genix because of the opportunities it offers to progress in her career.

When asked if she is still interested in working in the clinical side of dentistry, Chloe says she would never dismiss the opportunity to learn about clinical procedures as it all contributes to her knowledge and understanding of the industry. However, she is happy to be on the operational side of the business and hopes to continue rising through the ranks.

Although not a member of a traditional ‘dental team’, Chloe feels like she is an important part of all the 24 dental teams that make up Genix Healthcare because of her role.

‘If I don't deliver against orders then that affects our patients nationally. That's a big responsibility and one that I relish.’

Her own team in the head office is small but efficient and Chloe can see where her input really makes a difference.

The team is close-knit. ‘We often go out socially to concerts or for dinner. We also have lunch together every day in the office which is paid for by Genix. This gives us that down-time to spend more sociably together which I like.’

The team in the head office also socialise with Genix clinic staff when they visit their practices or when the staff attend headquarters for training. ‘It is important to ensure [the clinic staff] feel part of our team despite often being based a hundred miles away!’

Although still a relatively junior member of staff, Chloe is often invited to key industry events and has already attended a Business Development Centre of Excellence (BDCE) dinner and the Lord Mayor's Ball in Eastleigh, where one of the Genix clinics is based. ‘That makes me feel important to the business,’ says Chloe.

Genix Healthcare is using Chloe's and other apprentices' experiences and NVQ training to develop a blueprint for future apprentices. Chloe herself feels that there is a lot of opportunity for her in what is ‘a pretty specialised industry’; she is delighted with her career in dentistry so far and can see her career path developing.

‘There is definitely a reduction in the number of people entering dentistry in the UK and I am proud to be a part of a company that is actually doing something about it.’

Chloe hopes to enrol on an NVQ level 3 in the near future once she decides on the best and most useful topic for her to study. Chloe confided in Vital that her ‘bucket list’ of things to do before she turns 30 include travelling the world, owning an Audi Q7, and being a runway model at London Fashion Week! When we photographed Chloe for this cover story, she was most excited about an upcoming holiday in the sun.

I had never realised that administrative roles are just as important to a business as other roles in keeping the wheel turning.

There seems little danger that a bit of sun and sea will go to Chloe's head, however, as it is clear she is focused on climbing the career ladder at Genix.

‘Many consider dentistry an industry that is hard to get into,’ says Chloe – and youth unemployment and a lack of opportunities are of course widely reported in the media. ‘I am proof that there is opportunity now through apprenticeships and that hard work will help you progress. I had never realised that administrative roles are as just as important to a business as other roles in keeping the wheel turning.’

Do you have a story to tell and think you could see your dental practice in Vital? We'd love to hear from you! vitaleditorial@nature.com.