Neville Funerals introduces new standards for its frontline staff

Neville Funerals, an independent family company in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire, has introduced new professional standards for its driver bearer team.

The funeral directors have invested over £17,000 for every staff member to undertake a new Frontline Funeral Service Operations Training programme, launched by the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD), and is designed and delivered in conjunction with the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust.

Charmian Alexander, director at Neville Funerals, said: “The majority of our funeral teams have very distinct qualifications to aim for, that naturally provide a clear career path of promotion to funeral director, branch manager and beyond.

“Driver Bearers are an integral part of the team, often our frontline operatives are the first point of contact with families, working incredibly hard, and often behind the scenes, so wider industry recognition of all that they do is very welcome. Access to accredited training and ongoing professional development is a real focus for us and formal programmes and qualifications offer a major contribution.”

She added: “The course will be fully funded by us and we will appoint work-based mentors to assist each team member, alongside support for written assignments and work-based evidence pieces. Training can be completed over 6 months and at either work or home for the greatest flexibility.

“With the introduction of this new training programme, we hope to add appreciation and recognition of their role and then to open up new routes to further progression and promotion. These are valued and valuable team members and we were delighted to introduce the programme as soon as it became available.”