Florist Business September 2017 by Eljays44

OPINION

OPINION y is t ere a s ills s ortage a ong ne ﬂorists and e e doing to elp encourage e erging talent

Morgan Douglas Nuth, florist and business owner, Old Oak Floral Designers Ltd ’ve visited several colleges and found that at least two thirds of floristry students just don’t know what they want to do – they’re there because it was a fall-back option, and they just don’t have the passion. It’s as though certain people think our trade is just a hobby, rather than a hard, highly skilled vocation that takes years to master. When I first trained as a florist, my boss told me that I wouldn’t touch anything for retail for three years, and that if I didn’t like it I could walk out the door! But I was passionate to learn, and with the way we were bench-trained, you just wouldn’t have done it if you didn’t love it. It sorted the wheat from the chaff very quickly. I looked up to big names such as Ian Lloyd and David Denyer, who were so talented and inspiring – that spurred me on. It meant we didn’t go into the business with rose-tinted glasses: I knew what I had to do to better myself and I knew what I wanted to become, so I worked hard and stuck at it. When I interview for new staff, I want someone who’s passionate, and that’s very hard to find. I’ll get lots of people who have done a one-day course

FLORIST BUSINESS

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and think it makes them a florist. In March, for the first time ever, I had three candidates sending in CVs who’d only done a week-long online course. That is astounding! The concept that training as a florist is even remotely possible through an online course completely degrades our industry. Nowadays, good candidates are like gold dust. When you’ve got them, you’ve got to pay them well according to their skill level, look after them with incentives, be flexible, and keep them inspired and interested. I’m lucky that I’ve now got 14 amazing team members on my books, but my goodness it took a long time to find them. Tracy Jane Benton MDPF, TAQA, AFIoPF Cert Ed, principal moderator for City & Guilds TechBac The British Florist Association (BFA) is the only trade body recognised by government that represents the UK’s 7,000 independent florists. It established the Training and Education Committee (T&EC), which represents all sectors of the floristry industry. The BFA is passionate about raising and maintaining standards through qualifications, assessment and competitions, and is constantly

promoting that fact that floristry is a recognised, skilled profession. The BFA and the T&EC developed the Institute of Professional Florists (IoPF) in 2015, to provide training and continuous development opportunities for both self-taught and college-trained florists. The IoPF provides a structure and a benchmark for all florists, whether they have years of valuable on-thejob experience or a stack of formal qualifications. As a member of both committees I strive to uphold the professional status of florists in the UK, and to ensure that consistent high standards are maintained within the floristry industry through training, qualifications and competitions. Hadlow College, where I am a full-time lecturer, has had 100% success rates for many years due to the highly qualified, award-winning and industryled roster of lecturers who ensure learners gain a wider experience. All floristry staff have the opportunity to stretch and challenge students with additional personal development through work experience and competitions. We strive to uphold the rigorous standards set by the BFA and the IoPF, which is why we were ‘Training Provider of the year’ at FleurEx; Tanya Henton of Folkestone florist Stem by Stem said to us that she “can’t do without” the floristry students coming out of Hadlow College. My work as a consultant and principal moderator for City & Guilds allows me to set national standards and highlight the importance of education within the industry. Together, we will give them the knowledge, skills and understanding to propel our future florists and create an ambitious vision for the future of British floristry.