University of the Western Cape (UWC) Faculty of Dentistry Dean, Prof Veerasamy Yengopal, speaks to final-year students during Dean’s Week on 8 September 2026. Image: Shelley Christians/UWC

Final-year students at the University of the Western Cape’s (UWC) Faculty of Dentistry got a taste this week of what is expected of them when they enter the field, particularly private practice, from professionals advising them on business, legal, financial and career topics.

This advice came through packed sessions over three days, during which final-year students received guidance from dentists, lawyers, financial advisors and industry specialists.

UWC's Faculty of Dentistry Dean, Prof Veerasamy Yengopal, said the University is good at training the best clinicians in the world – both in oral hygiene and dentistry.

“But fundamentally, dentistry is a business, and that’s the part we don’t give them, and 99% of our graduates end up in the private sector where they have to run a business. So these are the experts who give our students wisdom, in terms of how to plan not only for business but for wealth creation,” said Prof Yengopal.

Craig Duff, who founded Varsity College at the age of 21, speaks about the importance of lifelong learning during the University of the Western Cape’s (UWC) Faculty of Dentistry Dean’s Week on 8 September 2026. Image: Shelley Christians/UWC

Too often, he said, students are made to feel guilty about creating wealth because of the University’s historical ethos of serving the downtrodden. While this is important, creating wealth and taking one's family from a disadvantaged background to the next level also represents a valid use of the power of education.

Because many new businesses fail within the first two years, Prof Yengopal said it is important to give students the tools to succeed.

“We call it the Dean’s Week because these are the three days that we are going to focus on aspects that are not taught in dental school. So they get a bit of practice management, to get the real experts from the outside world that come here…but it will also give them the contacts that will trigger them when they are ready for private practice; they will have the resources,” said Prof Yengopal.

One of the three speakers, Craig Duff, who founded Varsity College at the age of 21, stressed the importance of lifelong learning. Since selling Varsity College, Duff has ventured into other businesses, starting  NewBridge Graduate Institute, which offers in-class and distance learning, and BFC Pharma, which offers a range of pharmaceutical products. 

Students share what they appreciated hearing from speakers during the University of the Western Cape’s (UWC) Faculty of Dentistry Dean’s Week on 8 September 2026. Image: Shelley Christians/UWC

“Many of these things that may be common practice today are going to change dramatically over the next while. ?They talk about the changes that are going to come by 2035. I'm gonna be so dramatic as to say that many of the things that you are studying now will be completely revolutionised. So as a result of that, if ever there is a time to truly embrace lifelong learning, it's got to be now,” said Duff.

Considering the latest advances in artificial intelligence and robotics, Duff predicts that there will soon come a day when dentists can work from anywhere in the world. Drawing comparisons to telemedicine, which was, before the COVID-19 pandemic, unknown to the broader public.

Your cleverest colleague may be someone that you never met before; it may be AI, it may be someone sitting in India. You’re going to have AI in your pocket,” said Duff. He told the students that the age of AI will bring about challenges but also tremendous opportunities. 

Students reflect on key messages shared by speakers during the University of the Western Cape’s (UWC) Faculty of Dentistry Dean’s Week on 8 September 2026. Image: Shelley Christians/UWC

“Once you graduate, you leave with a degree, but that’s where your life starts, not where it finishes, from an educational point of view. Please update yourself; challenge yourself every year by learning things that are outside your discipline. 

“Make sure you stay within the mastery of your chosen field but stretch yourself; make sure you invest in your family, your friends and your people because, at the end of the day, a person that invests in themselves is going to be the richest person around. Invest academically, invest socially, and you will find a rewarding life and a great career,” said Duff.