Victorian Cemetery Trusts Governance & Operational Training

We recognise the valuable contribution you make to your local community as a Cemetery Trust member or staff member working to support your trust, and we want to help you thrive in your role. This program is highly practical, providing you with the necessary skills and tools to enhance the effective management of your Trust. Training is provided for Class A and Class B cemeteries.

Class A training

Class A training is organised directly with each Trust. Please email [email protected] if you want to find out more or book a session. You must include in your email your name, the Trust you are associated with, and your role within it.

Class B training - face-to-face

Face-to-face training for Class B cemetery Trusts is scheduled regularly in locations across the state. It comprises two days of carefully designed training that offers a valuable and solid foundation for Trust members who are committed to implementing strong governance and operational processes for their trust. More information about this training is provided below.

Class B additional training online

We offer additional self-paced online training, originally designed for Trust secretaries. The course material is different from the face-to-face workshops and does not replicate their content. This additional training is now freely available to Class B cemetery Trust members. If you would like to undertake this extra training, please email [email protected] and ensure you provide your name, the Trust you are associated with, and your role within it.

We have listened to feedback from trust members across Victoria and have updated the training design so you can attend each of the two days separately.

The two days to complete are:

• Day 1: Cemetery Governance DAY 1
• Day 2: Cemetery Governance PLUS

You will get the most of the workshops if they are done in the order: 1. Cemetery Governance Day 1, and then 2. Cemetery Governance Plus.

The program covers a wide range of topics, such as strategy and planning, risk management, financial governance, legislative frameworks, effective operations and oversight, stakeholder relations and more.

The training will help you:

• better understand your legal and ethical responsibilities as a trust member
• get up-to-date with any regulatory changes
• share your experiences and solutions, and get to know peers from other trusts
• know where to go if you need more information or help in fulfilling your role

To be eligible for a Certificate of Attainment for the Department of Health (DH) Cemetery Trusts Governance and Operational Training, members should complete both Day 1 and Day 2 Training within the term of their 5-year appointment. Those members who have completed two days of training within the last 5 years are already certified.

If you haven’t yet completed the training within the last 5 years, your 2 days can be taken on consecutive days – where offered – or it may be more convenient for you to separate the training days and complete the second day later, when it best suits you.

For example, you might complete Cemetery Governance DAY 1 in a session scheduled in the first part of the year, and Cemetery Governance PLUS in a session scheduled in the second part of the year – if that suited you better.

Both days of training will be offered at various locations throughout the year for you to choose from.

Each Training Day will run from 10:00am - 3:30pm. There is no cost to attend, and catering will be provided at all sessions.

A full list of the scheduled training is available on our registration page where you can select which dates and locations work for you.

You will get the most out of the workshops if you have done Cemetery Governance DAY 1 before doing Cemetery Governance PLUS, so try to arrange to do your days in that order.

If none of the pre-scheduled workshops are suitable for your trust, we may be able to arrange a workshop for the 2 days of training especially for you, provided that your trust can guarantee attendance of at least six people (two or more trusts may get together to arrange this). Please contact us if you would like to discuss this further.