Funeral Service Students Present Symposium

The Funeral Service Education students at Piedmont Technical College are reaching out to the professionals to help enhance their education.

Students in the program recently hosted a symposium featuring professionals from the funeral service industry who shared their experiences in order to increase student awareness of what to expect after graduation.

“I hope that each of us goes away with a clearer understanding of what funeral service education is all about,” said Lewis Hicks, a funeral service student from Columbia who spearheaded the symposium. “We want to make sure we prepare ourselves to be successful.”

The symposium included professionals from every aspect of funeral service from vendors of chemicals and caskets to area funeral directors to labor licensure board representatives. The break-out sessions were moderated by students of the program.

The symposium is the latest addition to the funeral service program geared at preparing the students to enter the workforce. Resume and interview workshops have been added in recent years to make the students more job-ready.

“We’re working to improve the training we provide for our students,” said David Martin, funeral service program director. “We want to give them a better picture of what they need to do to enter the field.”

More than 60 people participated in this first symposium. Hicks says the students hope to continue hosting the event in the future because of the benefits it can offer them.

“We are always looking for opportunities to better prepare our students,” said Martin. “We want to give them the tools to be successful.”

For more information on the funeral service education program, call (864) 941-8774 or go to www.ptc.edu/funeralservice.

Photo Caption: More than 60 people participated in this first Piedmont Technical College Funeral Service Education symposium. The symposium, presented by the students, brought in professionals to help enhance their education and make the students more job-ready.