Career
Opportunities
Since 1982 the floral industry has experienced a tremendous growth rate. It
has risen from 5.7 to 14.1 billion dollars in annual sales, a growth of
147%. Professional floral designers are in large demand. Our classes give
the student the necessary fundamental skills to start a successful career.
While no class or certificate can guarantee a job in the floral industry,
completion of any of the schools programs provides the student with a great
advantage. The rewards for learning floral design are immeasurable, whether
it is an individual desire to be creative, or for sheer self-enjoyment.
Program Objectives
Students are given basic hands on training in the areas of designing and the
proper use of floral tools. The classes deal mostly with fresh flowers,
planters and silk arrangements. Skills are practiced and reinforced
throughout the 10-week course. Each project is started out and completed the
same evening. The students do all designing themselves under the supervision
of the instructor who shows the student not only how to do something, but
tells them why they are doing it. No questions are left unanswered.
Both the Fresh and Silk classes make essentially the same arrangements with
the exception of materials used. Classes alternate between Fresh and Silk
every 11 to 12 weeks. FF001, SF002, AF003 are all 10-week courses which meet
once a week for two hours. The fee includes all materials used, which the
student gets to take home with them at the end of each class.
Instructors and Administrators
Ed Pawlak has been around the business since 1958 when his parents first
shop opened in Parma, and has literally grown up around the business. He has
worked in every aspect of the business for the past 25 years and has been
instructing employees and students since 1975. He is the schools head
administrator and instructor. |
Ed Pawlak understands the importance of good instruction for the student’s
first experience in the floral environment. Ed oversees the daily operation
of the shops, and along with his family and key personnel, has built up the
business to be one of the busiest and most trusted florists in greater
Cleveland. Many of Ed’s former students and employees have gone on to
successful careers and in some cases, to ownership of their own shops.
John Pawlak has been teaching classes with us since 1995, but his experience
goes back to 1980. After owning his own store, also in Parma, John went to
work for some very prestigious shops in the Dallas, Texas area where he
learned many new and different types of designing. His expertise lies with
European design and he did a great deal of party and corporate work while in
the Dallas area. John is well liked by his students and has a natural talent
for designing as well as teaching.
Course Descriptions
FF001 Beginners Fresh $225.00 10-Weeks
This class is intended for the beginner with little or no experience.
Students are taught the proper care and handling of fresh flowers and
plants. We start by making one sided, then round arrangements. Once these
skills are established we move on to corsages, wedding bouquets, bud vases,
and exotic designs. Traditional sympathy designs are demonstrated and
discussed, but not designed until the advanced classes. We also cover dish
gardens as well as bow making. Students will make on project each week.
SF002 Beginners Silk $250.00
Basic round and one-sided arrangements are covered with the emphasis on
color coordination and the different types of silk and dry naturals
available to the student. The student will make all of the same designs
covered in the fresh class.
AF003 Advanced Classes $250.00
These classes are for the student wishing to learn more marketable skills in
order to enter into the floral industry at the entry level. Students learn
more elaborate designs such as “high line” and other exotic types of
arrangements. Emphasis is placed on sympathy arrangements, weddings, and
corsage work. Since this is a more specialized class, the fee is higher than
the Basic Floral and Silk classes. Classes alternate between Fresh and Silk
weekly. |
