Funeral Director

The purpose of this qualification is to enable a learner to operate as a Funeral Director. A Funeral Director plans, coordinates and manages arrangements for funerals according to the wishes of the deceased or their relatives. A qualified learner will be able to: • Plan and conduct a funeral service and market products and services of a funeral home. • Co-ordinate, organise, monitor and manage the transportation of human remains, the bereaved family and funeral equipment in line with industry standards. • Manage the body in the mortuary, prepare the body for viewing, and oversee the viewing process. • Manage and prepare for cremation, burial and interment and monitor the mortician's activities. Graduate attributes • Proficiency, efficiency, and effectiveness in completing different funeral-related activities at a funeral parlour. • Integrity and high ethical standards in dealing with confidential information and in ensuring that a very sensitive period for the bereaved family is managed with professionalism. • Empathy when engaging with the family and friends of the deceased.

Who should enrol? Entry-level workers, school leavers, or career changers who want to gain foundational skills. The Funeral Director welcomes learners from diverse backgrounds, including those with limited formal education but relevant practical experience. The flexible learning approach ensures that everyone can progress at their own pace while achieving the same high standard of competence.

The funeral services industry in South Africa is currently valued at R10 billion a year, which is quite significant. The industry has been growing at around 12% annually. Funeral services in South Africa are a highly competitive and the industry is largely unregulated. There are an estimated 70,000 undertakers (funeral directors) and 15,000 funeral parlours/homes in operation hence a need for the qualification. While there are other qualifications and a skills programme in the funeral/burial space listed in sub-section 2.2 below, there is no qualification for a Funeral Director, the principal person that manages and directs funeral homes/parlours and mortuaries. The role of the funeral director is pivotal in the whole business process of coordinating and directing funeral services. Funeral homes offer a number of services and all these homes require a person that can coordinate and manage their activities so that the funerals can be appropriately managed and the wishes of the deceased and their families are carried out as planned. In addition, over the years, the number of funerals has increased significantly in various sections of South African Society, a growth which can also be attributed to the influx of foreigners into the country. In response, the number of funeral homes has increased. The funeral sector has also seen new developments and changes in their business processes. All these developments emphasise the need for a qualification for the funeral director. This qualification provides a learner with competencies required to plan, co-ordinate and execute arrangements of funerals in line with the wishes of the deceased, relatives or friend of the deceased. This qualification specifically combines competencies at a practitioner level with supervisory or management-related competencies. Similar Qualification(s), Part-Qualifications/Skills Programmes, already NQF registered/ QCTO approved are: • Occupational Certificate: Embalmer, NQF Level 6. • Occupational Certificate: Embalmer's Assistant, NQF Level 5. • Intermediate Occupational Certificate: Mortician, NQF Level 3. • Intermediate Occupational Certificate: Mortician, (NQF Level 3. This qualification will specifically benefit learners with an interest in establishing a career in the broader funeral sector. The qualification will also give people who have been doing funeral director-related work in South Africa without any formal training based on a relevant qualification or accredited training an opportunity to obtain formal recognition for their skills. Qualifying learners would be able to seek employment in the growing funeral industry at funeral parlours or mortuaries and/or to even start their businesses. In this way, they will make a substantial contribution to the economy. Achieving this Funeral Director qualification will provide several benefits to the learner, including: • Conducting funerals according to the wishes of the deceased or their families and friends and appropriate cultural and religious protocols • Being able to pursue a career in the funeral sector and become employable in it. • Contributing to the professionalisation of the occupation. • Adding integrity to the funeral services sector. Society will benefit because qualified funeral directors will ensure that funerals are conducted professionally, efficiently, with the appropriate degree of empathy and decorum and with all the wishes of the deceased and their families being fulfilled. The families and friends of the deceased will benefit from the services of funeral directors who are trained to manage funerals and give their clients comfort and ease during their bereavement. Typical learners would be school leavers, unemployed and employed persons (with an NQF Level 4 qualification) and those already in the funeral services sector without prior formal training. Collaboration with relevant stakeholders: • South African Funeral Practitioners Association (SAFPA) • National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) • National Undertakers Association of South Africa (NUASA) • South African Federation of Funeral Assurance Societies (Saffas) • Cooperative Funeral Solutions (CFS) • National Funeral Practitioners Association of South Africa (NAFUPA SA) • WEFDA and National Association of South African Undertakers (NASAU) were part of the consultation processes. The qualifying learner will operate in the following occupations: • Funeral Directors or Funeral Undertakers. • Embalmers. • Morticians.

• Plan and conduct a funeral service and market the products and services of a funeral home.
• Co-ordinate, organise, monitor and manage the transportation of human remains, the bereaved family and funeral equipment in line with industry standards.
• Manage the body in the mortuary, prepare the body for viewing, and oversee the viewing process.
• Manage and prepare for cremation, burial and interment and monitor the mortician's activities.