An evaluation was conducted of the effectiveness of a Scottish training guide for vocational dentistry, which outlined a year's curriculum and was intended to structure the apprentice-like training experience. Methods included semistructured interviews with four developers, interviews with eight trainers and four trainees, and a survey of 63 trainers and 63 trainees (40 and 37 responses respectively). The study found that the guide was perceived as attractive and "user-friendly" by both trainees and trainers. However, it was perceived as peripheral to the training (despite the fact that it covered the content of the training year well). Recommendations included the following: (1) trainers should have access to the guide well in advance of receiving their trainees and also should receive instruction on the problems of establishing a structure for the training year that offers the guide and task-based learning as a solution; (2) trainees should receive instruction that builds their expectations about the guide in relation to the basic competencies covered rather than the curriculum structure the guide offers; and (3) help should be given trainers to develop a series of tutorials that capitalize on the strengths of the guide. (The appendix contains the data and a copy of the questionnaire.) (CML)