Thanks to C2C, I’m inspired to take my learning journey further and become a fully qualified Funeral Director.
Why an apprenticeship?
My dad passed away when I was 15, and Robson & Stephens Funeral Services took care of his funeral. From that moment on, I felt I wanted to support and guide families through the difficult time of losing a loved one. I’m now 19 and after working for Robson & Stephens for two years, I felt it was the right time to enhance my knowledge and understanding of the industry and take on new roles arranging and directing funerals.
By completing my Funeral Arranger apprenticeship, I am better able to provide clients with the most effective emotional support along with the best guidance through the process of arranging a loved one’s funeral. The training has allowed me to progress my knowledge and understanding, and Zoom meetings with a tutor and other apprentices brought a social side to the learning. I benefited from seeing how different independent funeral homes operate to support their clients’ loved ones. Time management was my biggest challenge because I was working full-time as well as completing my apprenticeship qualification. But I learned strategies along the way, and this has helped me better time manage my clients to ensure each family has a feeling of being a priority.
Benefitting your business
The apprenticeship boosted my confidence in my abilities to such an extent it allowed me to arrange and conduct funerals on my own. This independence has resulted in a significant improvement in my communication skills when faced with a range of scenarios. While being discreet, sensitive and empathetic comes naturally to me, I have discovered new ways of being highly organised and delivering great customer service. Precision is key because you only have one chance to get a ceremony right.
During a Direct Cremation which I organised, I was able to use the skills that I gained through my qualification to provide my client with extra services such as a rose on the coffin and a piece of music to be played as her loved one entered the chapel. I also successfully arranged and directed a large funeral in my local community for a man who played in a local marching band. The band played at the funeral service after marching him through the town which was very moving.
I have introduced new Funeral Arrangement documents to the business to document different parts of arranging a funeral, and I have created a booklet called ‘My funeral wishes’ which helps families to choose what they need and want in their own time without having the pressure of someone asking lots of questions. The aim of these new initiatives is to condense important information into a format which everyone understands and help reduce human error. I have been given the opportunity to run two of our branches and have also created a safe and secure place to start running grief support groups for people that want to get together and have a coffee and a chat.
The C2C training difference
Both C2C and my employer have provided me with amazing support and guidance throughout this qualification. At times when my job had an impact on my apprenticeship, my C2C Vocational Trainer Chris Willin would always be on hand to rearrange scheduled meetings without an issue. At one stage I fell behind with coursework and C2C set up a plan to get me back on track. With this support, I was able to complete all relevant assignments on time and finish my qualification on time. Chris was always contactable if I ever had any questions about an assignment. Training also included regular mock assessments which prepared me for the final exams. Thanks to C2C, I’m inspired to take my learning journey further and become a fully qualified Funeral Director.