Florist

You may work in several sectors on a florist apprenticeship course, including events and retail.

You’ll often be commissioned for big events like weddings and funerals, so you’ll need strong business talents and exceptional customer service capabilities.

You will offer appropriate expert advice while understanding the client’s vision for the finished project.

Flowers and other botanical materials are delicate, easily damaged or spoilt, and have a limited storage life, so you’ll need to know where the materials come from, how to purchase them, how to manage storage and fresh supply, and how to establish proper rotation daily.

Floral arrangements will be made using your knowledge and talent of flowers, plants, botanical materials, and accessories. Whether a little bouquet or a large display for a special event, floral design requires being unique and imaginative.

What you’ll learn

On a florist apprenticeship course, you’ll learn to:

• Recognise fresh plant materials by their botanical names and understand how they are grown and trimmed by length and weight.
• Fresh plant material sources and how to store, care for and condition it.
• Identify plants and botanical materials, plant seasons and botanical classification (nomenclature) are employed, and plant activities such as photosynthesis, transpiration, respiration, evaporation, osmosis, diffusion, etiolation, and tropisms.I
• Maintain plants and planted designs. 
• Identify pests and diseases and report them to the proper authorities.
• Identify and record the client’s exact requirements during order taking.
• Establish and maintain customer trust and the ability to show empathy when necessary.
• Follow both verbal and written/pictorial instructions. 
• Recognise customers’ many needs and dreams and the best way to manage their expectations.
• Understand the sales opportunities throughout the year in the business and industry, such as Christmas and Valentine’s Day.
• Use systems, equipment, and technology to meet the client’s needs.
• Plan and organise work effectively to make the most use of available resources.
• Use design ideas and components, techniques, the design schema, and sources of inspiration to create and construct a range of products.
• Evaluate the design with the requirements and make modifications as needed.

Entry requirements

You’ll usually need:

• GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
• Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this before taking the end-point assessment.

Assessment methods

The End Point Assessment comprises three discrete assessment methods:

• Multiple choice test
• Practical assessment with questioning
• Professional discussion

Duration, level, subjects and potential salary upon completion

Apprenticeship standard

More information about the Level 2 Florist Apprenticeship standard can be found here.

Apprenticeship end point assessment

For more information about the End Point Assessment Process, please read the Institute of Apprenticeships’ information page.