Chapter 250-4 APPRENTICESHIP
The Board will provide reasonable accommodation to a qualified
applicant with a disability in accordance with the Americans With Disabilities
Act. The request for an accommodation by an individual with a disability must
be made in writing and received in the Board office by the application deadline
along with appropriate documentation, as indicated in the Request for
Disability Accommodation Guidelines.
| (1) |
An
apprentice must be currently registered with the Board in order to receive
credit for time served as an apprentice. An applicant for registration as a
funeral service apprentice must:
| (a) |
be at
least 18 years of age; |
| (b) |
at a
minimum, be is a high school graduate or holder of a General Education
Development (GED) certification of high school equivalency; |
| (c) |
file an application on a form available
from the Board; this application must be verified by oath and be accompanied by
the registration fee. This application shall ask questions regarding the
applicant's conviction of a felony or misdemeanor and violations or sentences
under the First Offender Act. |
| (d) |
designate the specific funeral director and/or embalmer under whom the
applicant will be apprenticing. The supervisor must be approved by the Board as
specified in Rule 250-4-.05; |
| (e) |
designate the specific establishment in the State of Georgia at which the
applicant will be apprenticing. The establishment must be approved by the Board
as specified in Rule 250-4-.05 and must have conducted an average of at least
thirty (30) funerals per year over the preceding five (5) years; and |
| (f) |
submit an application for registration at
least fifteen (15) business days prior to a Board meeting, and the Board's
acceptance or rejection of each application shall be by majority vote of the
entire Board. An application for registration shall be viewed only after it is
complete. |
|
| (1) |
Hours and
Duration. An apprenticeship period consists of 3,120 hours served in a time
period of no less than eighteen (18) months and no more than two (2) renewal
cycles as defined in O.C.G.A. § 43-18-50(c).
| (a) |
This period shall be measured from the
date the application is approved by the Board. |
| (b) |
The (18) eighteen-month minimum is in
addition to the time required to graduate from a college of funeral service
accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education or other college
specifically approved by the Board. |
| (c) |
An apprentice shall be allowed to serve a
maximum of four (4) hours per day for credit towards completion of the
apprenticeship period while enrolled in college. |
|
| (2) |
Business Hours. For purposes of
apprenticeship, regular business hours are the hours between 8:00 A.M. and
10:00 P.M. |
| (3) |
Sleeping. An
apprentice shall not count hours spent sleeping in a funeral establishment
toward the hours of requirement, even if the time spent sleeping occurs during
the regular business hours as defined in Rule 250-4-.03(2). |
| (4) |
Reports. Every six (6) months, each
apprentice shall furnish to the Board the details of the hours spent in
employment as an apprentice on forms approved by the Board. After completing
the 3,120 hours for apprenticeship within the specified period, the apprentice
shall send the last report to the Board regardless of the date. The information
contained in the report shall be certified as correct by the funeral director
in full and continuous charge and by the supervising funeral director and
embalmer. The report will specify the number of bodies which the apprentice has
assisted with embalming and the number of funerals in which the apprentice has
assisted. This report shall be kept current and made available for inspection
upon request. |
| (1) |
Each
apprenticeship registration expires on March 31 of even-numbered
years. |
| (2) |
Renewal. An
apprenticeship registration may be renewed for a two-year period and requires
submission of an application and fee (see fee schedule), due and payable by
March 31 of even-numbered years. An apprenticeship registration shall not be
renewed more than two (2) times. |
| (3) |
Late Renewal with Penalty. An expired
apprentice registration may be renewed between April 1 and April 30 of the
renewal year with submission of a renewal form and a penalty fee in addition to
the regular renewal fee. The applicant for renewal may not practice as an
apprentice during the late renewal period, nor will any hours be credited
during the late renewal period. |
| (4) |
Revocation. A registration that is not renewed prior to May 1 of the renewal
year shall result in revocation of the registration. Hours served after
revocation and prior to reinstatement may not be counted toward the 3,120 hour
requirement for an apprenticeship. |
| (5) |
Reinstatement. An apprentice whose
registration has been revoked for failure to renew a registration, within one
(1) year of the registration expiration date, may apply for reregistration with
submission of an application, renewal fee, and penalty fee. The Board reserves
the right to refuse to reinstate a registration and shall not reinstate a
registration more than twice. |
| (1) |
An
apprenticeship must be served under one (1) or more Board-approved supervisors.
A board-approved supervisor shall be either:
| (a) |
an individual who is currently licensed
by the State of Georgia as a funeral director and embalmer; or |
| (b) |
two (2) individuals, one (1) of whom is
currently licensed by the State of Georgia as a funeral director and the other
of whom is currently licensed by the State of Georgia as an
embalmer. |
|
| (2) |
An embalmer
and/or funeral director seeking Board approval to serve as a supervisor:
| (a) |
must be employed, either full time or as
a trade embalmer, at an establishment approved by the Board as an apprentice
site. In addition to any other requirements, a trade embalmer seeking approval
as a supervisor:
| 1. |
must embalm at the
establishment where the apprentice is registered; |
| 2. |
can only supervise four (4) apprentices
in total; and |
| 3. |
must appear before
the Board for approval. |
|
|
(b) |
must have been employed as a licensee for at least three (3)
years; |
| (c) |
must provide direct
supervision which shall mean that the embalmer, funeral director, or both, are
present on the premises overseeing the activities of the apprentice. |
| (d) |
is responsible for ensuring that the
apprentice complies with the Rules and Regulations of the Board while under
supervision; and |
| (e) |
may not
provide concurrent supervision to more than four (4) apprentices without Board
approval. |
|
| (3) |
The Board
may withdraw approval of a supervisor based upon evidence of the inability to
supervise an apprentice properly or upon other relevant
considerations. |
| (4) |
A licensee who
becomes unable to continue to supervise must notify the Board within five (5)
days of the last date of service as a provider of supervision. |
| (5) |
An apprentice may receive credit for
hours served only if the supervisor has current Board approval. An apprentice
serving under a licensee whose approval to supervise has been withdrawn or who
is unable to continue to supervise may apply to the Board to apprentice under a
different Board-approved supervisor without paying an additional fee for Change
of Supervisor. |
| (1) |
An
apprenticeship must be served at a Board-approved establishment. An
establishment, to become a Board-approved establishment, must:
| (a) |
have a valid Georgia funeral
establishment license; |
| (b) |
have no
unresolved inspection violations; and |
| (c) |
certify that an average of at least
thirty (30) bodies per year have been embalmed at the establishment over the
preceding five (5) years. Funeral establishments which have been in business
for less than five (5) years or have averaged less than thirty (30) embalmed
bodies per year must have embalmed at least one hundred fifty (150)
bodies. |
|
| (2) |
An
establishment may qualify for one (1) apprentice for each thirty (30) bodies it
embalms each year. An establishment which embalms less than thirty (30) bodies
per year may only have one (1) apprentice. |
| (3) |
The Board may withdraw approval of an
establishment if it deems the establishment to be inappropriate for
apprenticeship training. An apprentice serving at an establishment whose
approval is withdrawn shall receive notification thereof at least sixty (60)
days prior to the effective date of withdrawal and may not receive credit for
any hours served at the establishment after said sixty (60) days. The
apprentice may apply to the Board to serve at a Board-approved establishment
without paying an additional fee for change of location. |
