SkillsOne chats to Alan Randell-Smith, the Chief Floristy Judge at the WorldSkills National Competition in 2008.

He takes us through the tools which florists use: knives, pins, glues - all of which create artworks.

Alan tells how floristry is an art which uses fresh products, which makes it all the more difficult. Design, imagination and creativity are essential components in the trade.

About Floristy At WorldSkills:

Judging the floristry category involves critiquing a great level of design. The competitors are asked to create a range of items, from hand-held compositions such as bridal bouquets, to compositions for wider designs.

One of the designs include a floral head design. This task is actually created atop the styled heads of mannequins used in the hairdressing category of WorldSkills Australia.

Competitors are tested in skill areas such as use of colour, composition, and, of course, design. The quality of the tasks to be completed are expected to be of an extremely high quality.

About Alan:

Alan Randell-Smith has been in the floristry industry for almost twenty seven years. Originally, he left the hospitality industry, where he was a chef and attempted to break into the floristry trade in Brisbane.

Unfortunately, Brisbane provided no trade training at this point in his career change and so consequently had to pay for private school lessons in order to learn the art of floristry.

For this reason, he is very passionate about the availability to learn a trade for the young people of today. Alan is very passionate about floristry, believing it to be an art form. He compares it to Hairdressing and other trades which involve high levels of precision, skill and creativity. “It’s not about an eighty year old grandma holding a bunch of daisies, there’s so much skill and technique and flair involved.”

Alan seems to pour his heart into his work and has great insight into the skills and esteem that floristry holds. He is confident, clear in his thoughts and ideas, as well as articulate.

Alan believes WorldSkills is very important for young people trying to enter into the industry. He thinks that it is not only a good career path, but that it creates a sense of purpose and achievement.