The flowering of another great industry

For centuries they've been an inspiration for poets, a symbol of achievement, an expression of sympathy or love, an apology or just a thoughtful gift. Flowers - alongside greeting cards and chocolates - have hijacked every major religious holiday and celebration. So you could safely presume that there are an abundance of job opportunities in floristry.

Well indeed there are, says Richard Nichols of the Irish Flower Council: "There are dozens of job opportunities at the moment, everywhere seems short-staffed. I constantly get calls from florists looking for employees and a lot of my time is spent matching people to the right job."

Floristry has only recently come into its own as a career and is now a major-league industry, says Nichols. "It used to be seen as a part-time job and was often used as a secondary income for a family."

It's now a hugely profitable industry, requiring skilled and professional workers. Nichols advises anyone thinking of getting involved in floristry to get at lest some level of training or qualification. DIT Mountjoy runs a day-release course for those already working in the industry and there are numerous privately run evening courses. There is also a full-time PLC course, the main centre for which is Crumlin College in Dublin.

The course is called Floral Art and Garden Design. It is a one-year, full-time course which leads to a NCVA award. The course provides both the theoretical and practical aspects of floristry and garden design. Course head Kitty Gallagher says the course will equip graduates to work in all areas of the industry.

"We start off with the basics. Students learn the names of plants and flowers and how to recognise different species and varieties. They move on to learning how to buy flowers; how to recognise good fresh flowers at the market, knowing vase lives, how long it will take different flowers to open and learning how to buy flowers for different occasions. For example, lilies should have no colour showing unless you're buying for a funeral and then the flowers need to be open."

Students then move on to the practical techniques such as bouquet tying, wiring techniques, retail display and designing themed arrangements for different times of the year or different occasions. They are also taught computer skills, which Gallagher says have become essential, especially in big companies like Interflora, in interior landscaping (houseplants) and botany. "Botany is particularly important for those who want to get into garden design and nursery work, it also gives a good base for those who want to go on to study horticulture."

Gallagher agrees with Nichols that training is becoming increasingly necessary in the floristry industry. "People need to learn the principles and elements of design and technique. They need to understand balance, scales and colour schemes. The customer expects professional advice, particularly for important events like weddings," she says.

Florists are in demand all year round, but there are times when there is particular pressure, such as St Valentine's Day and Easter. Gallagher says that a lot of students on the course choose to do seasonal work to coincide with these busy times.

"We have a large number of mature students on the course, particularly women with families, who are just looking for part-time work as florists and that suits a lot of shops."

Most graduates from the course end up working in florist shops, with a view to eventually managing a shop or owning their own. However some go on to work in garden centres and others choose to use their design skills to go into window display outside the floristry industry.

Gallagher says that it can be quite a tiring job as florists spend almost the entire day on their feet, and during busy times the hours are usually very long. However, she says, "if you have a good eye for colour, are creative and enjoy working with your hands and meeting people, it's a very enjoyable job."