In this bulletin:
Date of effect: 20 December 2013
The SIF Funeral Services Training Package has been endorsed under Standards for Training Packages by the National Skills Standards Council (NSSC).
In this Commissioner's Information Bulletin five Vocational Training Orders are varied to update six qualifications from the latest version of the SIFv2 Funeral Services Training Package.
Superseded bulletin
This Commissioner's Information Bulletin supersedes Bulletin 477.
David Collins
The Commissioner for Vocational Training
Vocational training orders
Traineeships
Date of effect
17 September 2010
Updated
20 December 2013
Qualification
SIF30113 Certificate III in Cemetery and Crematorium Operations
Terms of traineeship
Full time:
SIF30113 Certificate III in Cemetery and Crematorium Operations by direct entry
- 24 months or until the relevant competencies are achieve
SIF30113 Certificate III in Cemetery and Crematorium Operations where the trainee holds SIF20113 Certificate II in Funeral Operations
- 21 months or until the relevant competencies are achieved
Part-time:
See nominal terms and hours for part-time traineeships
Probationary period
2 months
Date of effect
17 September 2010
Updated
20 December 2013
Qualification
SIF40213 Certificate IV in Embalming
Terms of traineeship
Full time:
SIF40213 Certificate IV in Embalming by direct entry
- 36 months or until the relevant competencies are achieved
SIF40213 Certificate IV in Embalming where the trainee holds SIF30313 Certificate III in Funeral Operations
- 33 months or until the relevant competencies are achieved
Part-time:
See nominal terms and hours for part-time traineeships
Probationary period
3 months
Date of effect
17 September 2010
Updated
20 December 2013
Qualifications
SIF20113 Certificate II in Funeral Operations
SIF30313 Certificate III in Funeral Operations
Terms of traineeships
Full time:
SIF20113 Certificate II in Funeral Operations
- 12 months or until the relevant competencies are achieved
SIF30313 Certificate III in Funeral Operations by direct entry
- 24 months or until the relevant competencies are achieved
SIF30313 Certificate III in Funeral Operations where the trainee holds SIF20113 Certificate II in Funeral Operations
- 21 months or until the relevant competencies are achieved
Part-time:
See nominal terms and hours for part-time traineeships
Probationary period
2 months
Date of effect
17 September 2010
Updated
20 December 2013
Qualification
SIF40113 Certificate IV in Funeral Services
Terms of traineeship
Full time:
SIF40113 Certificate IV in Funeral Services by direct entry
- 24 months or until the relevant competencies are achieved
SIF40113 Certificate IV in Funeral Services where the trainee holds SIF30313 Certificate III in Funeral Operations
- 21 months or until the relevant competencies are achieved
Part-time:
See nominal terms and hours for part-time traineeships
Probationary period
2 months
Date of effect
17 September 2010
Updated
20 December 2013
Qualification
SIF30213 Certificate III Gravedigging, Grounds and Maintenance
Terms of traineeship
Full time:
SIF30213 Certificate III in Gravedigging, Grounds and Maintenance by direct entry
- 24 months or until the relevant competencies are achieved
SIF30213 Certificate III in Gravedigging, Grounds and Maintenance where the trainee holds SIF20113 Certificate II in Funeral Operations
- 21 months or until the relevant competencies are achieved
Part-time:
See nominal terms and hours for part-time traineeships
Probationary period
2 months
Job descriptions
Traineeships
Certificate III in Cemetery and Crematorium Operations - Jobs are undertaken in a cemetery or crematorium.
Jobs provide sales and customer services and the scheduling of burial or cremation operations. Some jobs are in cemeteries coordinating staff in the preparation and reinstatement of burial sites, associated burial works and performing cremations. Tasks may include coordinating the collection or memorialisation of cremated remains and memorialising cremated remains.
Certificate IV in Embalming - Jobs are undertaken in a mortuary.
Jobs involve determining embalming requirements, determining body preparation requirements, cleansing and disinfecting deceased bodies, dressing bodies and applying cosmetics, following infection and contamination control procedures and coordinating and supervising mortuary operations.
Certificate II in Funeral Operations - Jobs are assisting funeral directors to conduct funerals or to undertake mortuary assistant duties.
Jobs might involve assisting the transfer of deceased remains, preparing, driving and maintaining funeral vehicles and assisting in the conduct of funerals.
Jobs may be in specialist mortuary administration, providing administration and operational support which may include contact with deceased remains, encoffining deceased persons and cleaning and sterilising mortuary items and equipment.
Certificate III in Funeral Operations - Some jobs are in mortuaries undertaking specialist mortuary administration work, carrying out support activities and body preparation procedures. Jobs may be to determine body preparation requirements, cleanse and disinfect deceased bodies, set facial features, restore minor body damage and dress bodies and apply cosmetics.
Other jobs are in funeral homes, selling funerals and burial products and services, arranging funerals, arranging and overseeing viewings and assisting with conducting funerals.
Certificate IV in Funeral Services - Jobs can be undertaken in a funeral home as a funeral director responsible for all aspects of arranging funerals, conducting funerals and coordinating funeral operations.
In a cemetery or crematorium, jobs are to coordinate and manage all staff involved, manage burials, burial works and cremation services, manage grounds, maintenance works and activities.
Other tasks may be to:
- install burial vaults
- coordinate chapel operations
- prepare vaults or crypts for burials
- schedule burials or cremations
- arrange and oversee viewings of cremations
- supervise exhumations
- coordinate monument installation.
Certificate III in Gravedigging, Grounds and Maintenance - Jobs are to prepare, dig and backfill graves. Tasks may involve digging graves manually, consolidate collapsed graves and exhuming burial sites.
Jobs may include undertaking specialist grounds maintenance carrying out grounds and garden care, general maintenance activities and limited construction works.
More about Funeral Services - Traineeships
SIF Funeral Services Training Package includes eight qualifications ranging from Certificate I to the Diploma. The following six qualifications support the traineeship pathways:
Under Training Services transition arrangements, a superseded qualification can be specified on apprenticeship and traineeship applications for up to six months after new or updated Vocational Training Orders come into effect.
Registered training organisations (RTOs) may commence training in either the new or superseded qualification but must meet the requirements of the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) to update the enrolment of their students to the current qualification before the qualification expiry date, generally 12 months after the current qualification has been added to the national register. For more information refer to the revised Standards for RTOs 2015 as specified by ASQA.
Applications under the Apprenticeship and Traineeship Act 2001 to establish any traineeship whether full-time, part-time or school based will not be approved unless the Commissioner for Vocational Training is satisfied that appropriate industrial arrangements are in place.
Trainees may be employed under the following awards:
All private sector employers and employees in New South Wales are covered by the national industrial relations system administered by the Fair Work Commission (the Commission). The industrial instrument that applies is a national (modern) award or a current enterprise agreement registered with the Commission. Further information is available from the Fair Work Ombudsman by telephoning 13 13 94 or via their website.
Currently there are no licensing requirements associated with these traineeship arrangements. However, National OH&S Council, NSW RTA and Liquor & Gaming NSW requirements are applicable to some units of competency contained within the SIF Funeral Services Training Package.
Under a NSW public health regulation relating to the disposal of bodies, a person must not embalm a body unless that person has a certificate of proficiency of, or equivalent to, a Certificate IV standard issued by an institute approved by the Director-General of the NSW Department of Health. For more information go to NSW Department of Health.
On successful completion of the relevant qualification:
- parties may apply to the Commissioner for Vocational Training for completion of the apprenticeship and traineeship prior to the nominal completion date of the training contract or;
- Training Services may issue letters from the Commissioner to both parties inviting them to consider competency based completion if it has received advice from the training organisation that the apprentice or trainee is eligible to receive their qualification.
Download a Request for Competency Based Completion form.
For registered training providers that can deliver the traineeship qualifications go to training.gov.au.
A list of registered training organisations that are in contract with the NSW Department of Education to be paid for the delivery of the training is here.
When developing Training Plans, registered training providers should ensure that the training program satisfies the qualification packaging requirements and, at the same time, reflects the nature of the business. Training Plans should be customised so that workplace activities support and align with the qualification units of competency.
From 1 January 2015 the NSW Government introduced new fee arrangements for government subsidised vocational education and training (VET). Under Smart and Skilled, all apprenticeship and most traineeship qualifications are subsidised. For a full list of all the qualifications refer to the current NSW Skills List. Information on the types and levels of subsidies can be found in the Smart and Skilled Fee Administration Policy. Training for existing-worker trainees is not subsidised.
A copy of each Vocational Training Order is available for inspection on this internet site below or at any Training Services centre of the NSW Department of Education.
Contacts and enquiries
To sign up an apprentice or trainee call 1800 020 108. To find a job in an apprenticeship or traineeship search here.
For additional questions contact us.
Email: Online enquiry form
Phone: 13 28 11