Unit of competency details

Unit descriptor 

This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to assemble a range of fundamental floristry products to a pre-determined design. It requires the ability to access and interpret job specifications, prepare for the assembly, select the correct components and assemble and present a range of fundamental floral arrangements.

No licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of endorsement.

Application of the unit 

This unit describes a fundamental construction function for the floristry industry and applies to the full range of industry sectors and environments. The floristry business could be a retail, studio or online business.

The product could be custom-made in response to a customer brief or a display or stock item made for general sale.

The assembly of fundamental floristry products to pre-determined job specifications is usually undertaken by operational florists who work under close supervision and with guidance from others. They would be required to apply little discretion and judgement because they assemble floristry products using predefined instructions and procedures. The work of these trainee or junior florists would normally be checked by more experienced and senior florists.

Prerequisite units 

Nil

Employability skills 

This unit contains Employability Skills.

Elements describe the essential outcomes of a unit of competency.

Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised text is used, further information is detailed in the required skills and knowledge section and the range statement. Assessment of performance is to be consistent with the evidence guide.

ELEMENT 

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA 

1. Access and confirm the job specifications.

1.1. Access job specifications  and discuss and confirm the assembly requirements with relevant personnel  to meet all product requirements including cost requirements and production deadlines.

1.2. Read, view or discuss the job specifications to allow for correct selection of all components .

2. Select flower and plant materials and ancillary items.

2.1. Select flower and plant materials  according to the job specifications and itemised job costing  and sort in preparation for construction.

2.2. Select ancillary and presentation items  according to the job specifications and itemised job costing.

2.3. Identify any potential problems  and communicate to relevant personnel for a solution.

3. Prepare to assemble the floristry product.

3.1. Clean the product preparation area to avoid spoilage of flower and plant materials  during preparation and assembly.

3.2. Check that flower and plant materials have been correctly prepared and conditioned .

3.3. Recognise and report on any unsuitable materials  and rectify according to the level of individual responsibility.

3.4. Identify and select equipment and other construction components  to be used for the assembly.

3.5. Use energy, water and other resources efficiently during the preparation and subsequent assembly process to reduce negative environmental impacts.

4. Assemble hand tied flower and plant materials.

4.1. Select appropriate hand tied floristry techniques  according to the job specifications.

4.2. Produce fundamental hand tied floristry products  considering and applying the elements  and principles of design .

4.3. Secure the floral arrangement according to the job specifications.

5. Assemble wired flower and plant materials.

5.1. Select appropriate wired floristry techniques  according to the job specifications.

5.2. Produce fundamental wired floristry products  considering and applying the elements and principles of design.

6. Assemble flower and plant materials in a base medium.

6.1. Identify suitable support methods and materials according to the job specifications.

6.2. Select appropriate base medium construction techniques  according to the job specifications.

6.3. Produce fundamental floristry products with a base medium  considering and applying the elements and principles of design.

6.4. Select, fix and form the appropriate base medium .

7. Present and check the floristry product.

7.1. Review finished floristry product, have relevant personnel check as required and make any necessary alterations before wrapping and packing.

7.2. Attach and secure ancillary and presentation items to the floral product.

7.3. Select wrapping and packaging materials  and complete all required wrapping and any packaging according to the job specifications, adjusting, as required, to enhance the presentation.

7.4. Safely dispose of all waste, especially hazardous substances, to minimise negative environmental impacts

7.5. Review the entire presentation of the finished floristry product and have relevant personnel check, as required, before displaying, despatching or providing to the customer.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE 

This section describes the skills and knowledge required for this unit.

Required skills 

• correct use of personal protective equipment
• safe and correct use of tools, such as knives and pruners
• recognition of spoilt flower and unsuitable plant materials
• safe handling techniques for toxic flower and plant materials and those treated with toxic substances such as fungicides and pesticides
• correct handling techniques for a variety of flower, plant and presentation materials and ancillary items commonly used when assembling fundamental floristry products to avoid spoilage of floristry stock
• communication skills to hold discussions with relevant personnel on job specifications and to verbally report any problems that arise during the assembly
• literacy skills to read and comprehend simple job specifications for the assembly of fundamental floristry products, to read use-by dates, stock labels, and to read and interpret organisational procedures
• numeracy skills to count components and items to be assembled.

Required knowledge 

• the fundamental characteristicsof the elements and principles of design, their primary interrelationships and use in various fundamental floristry products in order to respond to the job specifications and to discuss and make any necessary changes
• The elements of design include:

• texture
• form
• colour
• space
• line

• The principles of design include:

• harmony
• rhythm
• balance
• dominance
• scale
• proportion
• contrast

• the general features and use of floral assembly techniques for fundamental floristry products including:

• bunching
• hand tying
• using a base medium
• fine and heavy gauge wiring for fundamental products
• wrapping and using ribbons and ties
• packaging and protecting flower and plant materials
• constructing presentation boxes e.g. glamour boxes, cylinders.

• the general features, use and visual recognition of a variety of flower and plant materials in order to correctly select stock when assembling fundamental floristry products
• the general features and use of a variety of ancillary floristry products, presentation materials and wrapping techniques which enhance the presentation of fundamental floristry products
• the essential features of and safe practices for using common hazardous substances used by the floristry industry and in particular substances used by the organisation e.g. cleaning agents
• the environmental impacts of preparing and assembling fundamental floristry products and minimal impact practices to reduce these especially those that relate to resource, water and energy use and to the use of floristry raw materials
• correct and environmentally sound disposal methods for all types of waste - in particular for hazardous substances, spoiled and diseased flower and plant materials and those that have a propensity to propagate weeds.

EVIDENCE GUIDE 

The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment 

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit 

Evidence of the following is essential:

• ability to safely use floristry equipment and hazardous substances
• ability to correctly confirm the job specifications and to visually recognise and select the correct flower and plant materials
• knowledge of the fundamental characteristics of the elements and principles of design, their primary interrelationships and their use in various fundamental floristry products
• ability to identify and communicate problems associated with the assembly of floristry products

• ability to construct multiple and diverse fundamental floristry products. To ensure consistency of performance and ability to use different techniques, this must occur over a period of time and must include the key floristry products outlined in the range statement using the nominated hand tied, base medium construction and fine and heavy gauge wiring techniques

• completion of assembly activities within commercial time constraints and deadlines determined by the customer or the organisation.

Context of and specific resources for assessment 

Assessment must ensure:

• access to comprehensive and sufficient job specifications for a diverse range of fundamental floristry products to allow the candidate to discuss interpret, and assemble a range of floristry products
• the assembly of floristry products within a floristry preparation and product construction environment
• a diverse, comprehensive and commercial range of equipment used during the construction of floristry products e.g. knives, scissors, secateurs, staple guns
• a diverse, comprehensive and commercial product range of flowers, plant materials, cleaning agents, preservatives, conditioning agents, construction, ancillary, presentation and wrapping items that can be used during the assembly process.

Method of assessment 

A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:

• direct observation of the candidate preparing for and assembling a range of floristry products
• project activities to assemble floristry products for a local community organisation or a small scale event delivered by the Registered Training Organisation
• evaluation of a range of floristry products assembled by the candidate
• exercises to assess the ability to identify and communicate different problems that arise during the assembly phase
• exercises to allow the candidate to correctly identify a diverse range of flower and plant materials through visual recognition
• written and oral questioning or interview to test knowledge of such things as the elements and principles of design and minimal impact practices
• review of portfolios of evidence and third-party workplace reports of on-the-job performance by the candidate.

Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example:

• SFLSOP202A Recognise flower and plants materials
• SFLSOP204A Prepare and care for floristry stock
• SIRXOHS001A Apply safe working practices.

RANGE STATEMENT 

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Job specifications  may include:

• customer brief and how it has been met
• location where floristry product will be used or displayed
• purpose of the floristry product (e.g. for a special occasion)
• photographs of the final design
• photographs of various stages of construction
• sketches
• general overview of how to construct
• complete instructions for construction including techniques to be used
• itemised lists of all components and suppliers
• notes on seasonal availability of flower and plant materials
• itemised maximum cost of all components
• relative costs of alternate components
• itemised list of individual products to be produced as part of a suite and numbers required
• size of each item to be constructed
• estimated timeframe for the construction of all components.

Relevant personnel  may include:

• supervisor
• manager
• floral designer
• studio designer
• a more experienced florist
• owner-operator of a small floristry business
• production manager.

All components  may include:

• flowers and plant materials
• construction materials
• ancillary items and merchandise
• presentation materials.

Flower and plant materials  must include:

• flowers including:

• fresh (common, exotic and Australian wildflowers)
• dry and preserved
• artificial

• plant materials including:

• fresh (common, exotic and Australian foliage)
• dry and preserved
• artificial.

Itemised job costing  may include:

• itemised lists of all components and associated individual costs of supply and sale
• itemised maximum numbers of flowers and other items to be used in the construction of the floristry product
• details of the composite product or products to be produced with cost of supply and sale.

Ancillary items  may include:

• chocolates, fruit, nuts, alcohol
• hampers
• gift items of any type
• novelties such as balloons and toys
• flower preservatives and conditioning agents.

Presentation items  may include:

• wrapping
• gift cards and message items
• corporate advertising of the business
• corporate materials provided by the customer.

Problems  may include:

• lack of experience with flowers and plant materials
• lack of experience with the variety and size of the various products e.g. those for a special occasion
• constraints of a short production and delivery deadline
• non-availability of the flower and plant materials
• non-availability of ancillary, presentation and wrapping items
• spoilt flower and plant materials
• short life cycle and problems with maintaining quality during storage, production and display by the organisation or the customer
• working with a design that does not work in the assembly phase
• constraints of OHS requirements
• negative environmental impacts of materials chosen
• inability to meet the customer preference or brief.

Spoilage of flower and plant materials may relate to :

• cross contamination of diseased or pest affected flowers and plant materials with healthy plants
• incorrect application of humidity and temperature controls
• incorrect exposure to environmental heating or air conditioning
• incorrect application of conditioning or preservative agents or contamination with cleaning agents
• incorrect storage causing crushing or wilting
• incorrect handling and storage of fruit and vegetables.

Prepared and conditioned  flower and plant materials may have been subject to:

• trimming of foliage
• trimming of stems
• trimming away buds
• provision of nutrients
• use of preservative solutions
• use of conditioning solutions
• scalding
• cooling
• bathing
• chemical spraying for pests and diseases
• use of cleaning agents
• dusting or wiping.

Unsuitable materials  may include:

• diseased or pest affected flowers and plant materials
• damaged or crushed flowers and plant materials
• wilted flowers and plant materials
• flowers and plant materials with expired or near to expired use by dates that will not survive the display period.

Equipment and other construction components  may include:

• cutting tools including:

• knives
• scissors
• rose de-thorner
• secateurs

• containers to mix cleaning and conditioning agents
• baskets
• decorative pots
• buckets or decorative pails
• containers (bowls, vases)
• staple gun and staples
• glue gun and glue
• binding tape
• heavy to fine gauge wire
• base medium.

Hand tied floristry techniques  must include:

• bunching
• spiral stem
• straight stem.

Fundamental hand tied floristry products  must include:

• bunch (spiralled and straight stemmed)
• posy (spiralled and straight stemmed)
• bouquet (spiralled and straight stemmed)
• single flower presentation
• boxed presentation.

Elements of design  must include:

• texture
• form
• colour
• space
• line.

Principles of design  must include:

• harmony
• rhythm
• balance
• dominance
• scale
• proportion
• contrast.

Wired floristry techniques  must include:

• support wiring for flower and plant materials with a stem
• wiring for flower and plant materials without a stem
• stitching
• pinning
• pierce and twist
• fork or hook
• cross wiring
• peg wiring.

Fundamental wired floristry products  must include:

• button hole
• corsage.

Base medium construction techniques  must include:

• cutting and shaping base media
• securing.

Fundamental floristry products with a base medium  must include:

• posy bowl
• posy box
• simple symmetrical line arrangement (upright).

Base medium  may include:

• floral foam (for fresh flowers and plant materials)
• floral foam (for artificial flowers and plant materials)
• wreath frame (floral foam).

Wrapping and packaging materials  may include:

• boxes
• cylinders
• polypropylene
• paper
• cellophane
• bows
• ribbons
• raffia.

Unit sector 

Floristry

Competency field 

Floristry Design and Construction

Co-requisite units