Has anyone else taken a Flowers Canada course?
I took an intermediate course this past summer. And was extremely disappointed.
I took an intermediate course this past summer. And was extremely disappointed.
Flowers Canada Courses
- Thread starter DFlorist
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lil_goldie
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- Apr 15, 2009
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I haven't taken one from Flowers Canada.
I did take one at the Canadian Institute of Floral design and wasn't totally thrilled with it.
What aspects of it did you not like?
I did take one at the Canadian Institute of Floral design and wasn't totally thrilled with it.
What aspects of it did you not like?
Jane (the Missus) was trained by Flowers Canada (mostly Nancy Murray) over the past 24 years through Basic to Professional and accreditation and I have to say it has served us well.
Rock on..........................
Rock on..........................
OB1
Joanne Plummer AIFD,CAFA
I was a judge for one of the graduating classes years ago, and they didn't have me back, because they thought I was too tough on the students.
One of my staff, (an AIFD member) failed to make the grade in the first year of testing for Flowers Canada design because she didn't now how to make a triangular mum and carnation arrangement.
I think there is a place for this type of testing, but I'm not certain that the Flowers Canada model is the ideal. Having said that, I get students from the various colleges all the time, and the education they get is no better.
I have had a couple of students who attended the Canadian Institute of Floral Design, and found them to have an over inflated view of the knowledge they gained...
I think that it must depend on the student, and how they view the education they are recieving.
College, of any kind, will only teach you a little bit...it takes much more than 6 months (or less in some cases claimed by the school) to have a keen insight into the floral industry.
Take for example the European model, where floral design is a five year course. To me, that makes a lot of sense. But in Canada and America, that is unheard of. We tend to think of floral design, and by extension, owning a flower shop as more of a hobby than a true business.
I guess it depends on your previous experience, and your future intentions. Some people take these courses so that they can do their daughters centerpeices for the wedding. Professionals understand this is ridiculous, but the student sees no difference between what they will do, and what a true professional offers. For some people, the Flowers Canada courses are enough to allow them to open, and hopefully operate a moderately successful flower shop. Occasionally, others come away knowing that the knowledge they recieved is nowhere near what the will need to be successful.
No matter where you get your initial training, I think that those who recognise the shortcomings of their schooling are the ones who are most likely to be successful. No matter who you are, or where you begin, it is the ongoing training that makes a great designer, or a great business person. That's why each of us at Mill Street continue to atend ongoing classes every year, with terrific designers from far away, or respected business people from either inside or outside the industry.
No one can ever know it all...only a little bit of it...and so we all have to continue to learn, or we will crash and burn with the rest of them.
So, back to the Flowers Canada Course.
Maybe it wasn't what you wanted, or expected, or needed, or deserved.
Or maybe it was directed at people who needed just what they got.
Who's to know?
JP
One of my staff, (an AIFD member) failed to make the grade in the first year of testing for Flowers Canada design because she didn't now how to make a triangular mum and carnation arrangement.
I think there is a place for this type of testing, but I'm not certain that the Flowers Canada model is the ideal. Having said that, I get students from the various colleges all the time, and the education they get is no better.
I have had a couple of students who attended the Canadian Institute of Floral Design, and found them to have an over inflated view of the knowledge they gained...
I think that it must depend on the student, and how they view the education they are recieving.
College, of any kind, will only teach you a little bit...it takes much more than 6 months (or less in some cases claimed by the school) to have a keen insight into the floral industry.
Take for example the European model, where floral design is a five year course. To me, that makes a lot of sense. But in Canada and America, that is unheard of. We tend to think of floral design, and by extension, owning a flower shop as more of a hobby than a true business.
I guess it depends on your previous experience, and your future intentions. Some people take these courses so that they can do their daughters centerpeices for the wedding. Professionals understand this is ridiculous, but the student sees no difference between what they will do, and what a true professional offers. For some people, the Flowers Canada courses are enough to allow them to open, and hopefully operate a moderately successful flower shop. Occasionally, others come away knowing that the knowledge they recieved is nowhere near what the will need to be successful.
No matter where you get your initial training, I think that those who recognise the shortcomings of their schooling are the ones who are most likely to be successful. No matter who you are, or where you begin, it is the ongoing training that makes a great designer, or a great business person. That's why each of us at Mill Street continue to atend ongoing classes every year, with terrific designers from far away, or respected business people from either inside or outside the industry.
No one can ever know it all...only a little bit of it...and so we all have to continue to learn, or we will crash and burn with the rest of them.
So, back to the Flowers Canada Course.
Maybe it wasn't what you wanted, or expected, or needed, or deserved.
Or maybe it was directed at people who needed just what they got.
Who's to know?
JP
The course definitely wasn’t what I wanted, expected, needed or deserved haha
The course I took was called Creative Internediate Floral Design. It was a 4 day course at the University of Guelph. In the brochure produced by Flowers Canada, they said you should have a minimum of 3 years of shop experience in order to take the course. So I called them up, and asked them their opinion. I worked at Dutchman Florist for 3 years as a part time employee (while I was in high school) and for about 2 years full time (and I’ll be the owner as of 2010). I do everything from processing flowers and helping customers, to funeral and wedding design work. Having told the representative this, he still suggested this would be the right course for me. Boyyyy was he wrong.
I was in a class with some hobbyists, and other people that were just getting into the floral business, and have never worked in a shop. To make a long story short, I was mad. And I had spent almost $1000 for nothing...
Its over and done with now, but I just wish the representative on the phone would have given me better information…
And OB1, I agree with you on the European model of floral education. But unfortunately, people here in North America don’t take the profession as seriously as a lot of people in Europe, and as you said, they view it more as a hobby…
The course I took was called Creative Internediate Floral Design. It was a 4 day course at the University of Guelph. In the brochure produced by Flowers Canada, they said you should have a minimum of 3 years of shop experience in order to take the course. So I called them up, and asked them their opinion. I worked at Dutchman Florist for 3 years as a part time employee (while I was in high school) and for about 2 years full time (and I’ll be the owner as of 2010). I do everything from processing flowers and helping customers, to funeral and wedding design work. Having told the representative this, he still suggested this would be the right course for me. Boyyyy was he wrong.
I was in a class with some hobbyists, and other people that were just getting into the floral business, and have never worked in a shop. To make a long story short, I was mad. And I had spent almost $1000 for nothing...
Its over and done with now, but I just wish the representative on the phone would have given me better information…
And OB1, I agree with you on the European model of floral education. But unfortunately, people here in North America don’t take the profession as seriously as a lot of people in Europe, and as you said, they view it more as a hobby…
