LINCOLNSHIRE, IL — June 10, 2024 — The Selected Educational Trust is pleased to announce the Institute for Exceptional Funeral Service, now powered by National Guardian Life Insurance Company (NGL). With this exciting partnership comes a new on-demand course format, allowing for even more flexibility than ever before.
“Recognizing the retention and recruitment issues in the profession, NGL wants to be a part of the solution. We want to be there for all funeral professionals, connecting them with opportunities through relevant training courses that address today’s challenges at an affordable cost,” said Jessica Grann, Senior Vice President, Chief Culture and Communications Officer at NGL.
The Institute is a suite of carefully curated online, skills-enhancement courses developed by experts in the profession. Courses are separated into three tracks, based on role and experience. Courses in the Service Excellence series are designed to work in tandem with on-the-job training to allow those new to working in any capacity within a funeral home to learn and internalize the foundations of what makes a funeral service professional excellent. Courses in the Experienced Directors or Decision Makers tracks are designed for more experienced professionals, featuring topics such as staffing retention and recruitment, conflict resolution with families, and properly navigating inquiry phone calls. Each course is approved for up to 8.0 contact hours of continuing education by the Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice (APFSP) and several states.
“The Institute has been a successful program over the last three years, connecting premium educational content developed by leaders in the profession with those that have a passion for learning and improving themselves. We are honored to be partnering with NGL to advance this offering to the next level,” said Stefanie Favia, Executive Director of the Selected Educational Trust.
“We are excited to partner with the Selected Educational Trust to provide valuable Continuing Education (CE) resources at an affordable cost,” said Grann. “Funeral professionals are dedicated to the families they care for in their communities and we understand it is not always easy or possible to spend days away from their funeral home. These online courses help them successfully earn up to eight hours of CE training when it fits into their schedule and from the comfort of their homes.”
For full course listings and to register, visit www.funeral-institute.org. For a limited time only, enter code ‘NGLInstitute’ at checkout for a 50% discount off the full price (a savings of almost $100). Clients of NGL, members of Selected Independent Funeral Homes, and students enrolled in mortuary science education programs are eligible for additional savings and should email institute@selectedtrust.org to learn more.
