It's never just a job - but a chance to learn and grow

From Funeral Arranger to Training Lead, Lottie shares how curiosity and continuous learning has shaped her 15-year journey.

Be curious. Keep pushing yourself. We’re incredibly lucky to work in a business that genuinely supports learning and development.

Lottie Townsley | Funeralcare Training Lead

I joined Funeralcare 15 years ago as a part‑time Funeral Arranger. At the time, this role suited my family needs, but I never saw it as “just a job”. From the start, I wanted to grow and feel confident supporting families at such an important time in their lives.

As a Funeral Arranger, completing an NVQ was compulsory. I didn’t see this as a blocker, I welcomed the opportunity. The qualification helped build my knowledge and confidence and gave me a deeper understanding of how best to support our clients. That learning experience stayed with me throughout my career.

Over the years, I progressed into the role of Funeral Director, where I was again supported to complete the Funeral Director NVQ. This learning journey was invaluable. It helped me not only understand my role but also see the wider picture of how the business operates as a whole.

I’ve always been an advocate for self‑learning, so once I completed my apprenticeship, I continued to use the Development Offer and joined Learning Groups. These helped boost my confidence and broaden my knowledge, which played a big part in my next step, which was becoming a Funeral Service Manager.

As a manager, I made a commitment to my own development by blocking out time each month to learn. I explored opportunities such as the People Collection, which really helped me understand how to lead and support my team effectively. I was also a strong advocate for apprenticeships and proudly supported many colleagues through their own learning journeys.

Today, I’m part of the Training team, where I get to support our operational teams’ hands‑on. Learning hasn’t stopped for me. I truly believe we learn every day. Whether it’s mandatory learning, self‑directed learning through our development offer, watching TED Talks or listening to podcasts, it all supports my personal growth.

My advice to colleagues? Be curious. Keep pushing yourself. We all learn differently, by doing, reading or watching , but we’re incredibly lucky to work in a business that genuinely supports learning and development and has a real appetite to grow our people.

Lottie Townsley, Funeralcare Training Lead