In 1852, Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to pass a\nCompulsory Education Law. Since then, it is generally accepted in the United\nStates that compulsory schooling ends in most states by age 16. Through\nself-motivation or a parental push, many in society continue their studies\nthrough trade schools, college and beyond. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the mass-market segment of the floral industry, once an\ninterviewee becomes and employee: is that the end of their floral education?\nMany job-seekers bring years of floral design and floral management experience\nto their newly hired positions while others are wide-eyed and unskilled, but\nwilling to learn. For years, the newly-hired employee has been trained on care &\nhandling and merchandising and finally as a floral designer. Floral Department\nManagers and other experienced designers are often designated as trainers for\nthese new hires. In some it is hard work that nurtures success; in others it is\na natural talent that emerges: but again, is that the end of their floral education?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2012, we were in attendance at a Floral State Convention\nwhen the audience was asked to raise their hands to the questions: Who works at\na traditional mom & pop, brick & mortar flower shop? Who works\nexclusively in the wedding\/event industry? Who works out of their home or\nnon-storefront studio? Hands were going up everywhere \u2026 though not all hands\nwere being raised. After some serious consideration; the other 30% + attendees\nfinally and timidly raised their hands when a lightbulb turned on and the\nquestion \u2013 \u201cwho works in a supermarket?\u201d was asked. It was an eye-opening\nrealization for both of us. We always believed it didn\u2019t matter how flowers found\ntheir way into a consumer\u2019s hands and these people were there to do exactly\nwhat we believed in. We were educators because we have always been concerned\nabout the quality of floral design that was being produced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since then, we have both had the continuing opportunity to\nwork with mass-marketers through overseas product development through\nnationally recognized companies in both the fresh flower and hardgoods\nindustries. It isn\u2019t that we just started working in that capacity \u2013 it is now\nwe were working with a better understanding and a heightened awareness of who\nwas actually using the products that were being developed. So, we ask; is\nfloral education a new trend. For years, companies have invested in their\nfloral division through available Wire Service Design Shows and other\nindustry-related events. What makes floral education a trend is that more and\nmore companies are investing in the conscientious education of their employees.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Companies are no longer waiting for design shows to come to\nthem. Mass-marketers are bringing the education through the front door. They\nare educating their floral division through internal design shows, design\nworkshops and merchandising competitions. Some companies have created local,\nregional and corporate-wide design competitions. These competitions push the\nlimits of their floral designer\u2019s skills in not only design but recipe and time\nmanagement. These internal floral education business and design shows offer\nconversation through their in-house networking. The designers are pushing their\nskill levels at each event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Four years ago, during a floral design presentation for a\ngrocer; the hundreds of attendees were asked if they knew who many of the top\nInstagram floral designers were. Less than 5% of those in attendance knew who\nthey were. At the same company\u2019s show this year almost 50% of the audience\nraised their hands in awareness of knowing who some of the top online Floral\nDesign Influencers are from around-the-world. Their company\u2019s educational\ndollars are nurturing their employees desire to reach out, become more aware of\nwhat they do and what others are doing. They are challenging them and in turn\ntheir employees are challenging themselves to improve their skills, to better\nthemselves and in the end \u2013 through education \u2013 become better employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Floral education in the mass-market segment is trending \u2013 at least it is in many companies. If not in yours: it should be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\nOriginally published in the March 2018 Issue of Super Floral Magazine\n\n<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Bill Schaffer AIFD, AAF, PFCI & Kristine Kratt AIFD, PFCI In 1852, Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to pass a Compulsory Education Law. Since then, it is generally accepted in the United States that compulsory schooling ends in most states by age 16. Through self-motivation or a parental push, many in society continue their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":959,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[12,5],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n