Elements and Performance Criteria

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 an event or 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
packaging and transportation requirements
itemised lists of all components and suppliers
itemised maximum cost of all components
itemised list of individual products to be produced as part of a suite and numbers required
size of each item to be constructed
fabrication and structural support requirements for large displays.
estimated timeframe for the construction of all components.
Relevant personnel may include:
manager
other senior florists
floral designer
studio designer
owner-operator of a small floristry business
other florists involved in a large scale production team
production manager.
All components may include:
flowers and plant materials
construction materials
ancillary items and merchandise
presentation materials
packaging materials for use when transporting complex floristry products
fabrication and structural support requirements.
Production plan may include:
details of a site inspection and consultation with venue operators to establish site assembly and display requirements
off and on-site labour requirements
rosters for off and on-site staff members
details of components that will be fully or partially constructed off-site and those that must be assembled on-site at any event location
actual timeframe and deadlines for the construction of all components
on-site construction or assembly plan for event sites.
Construction and display may involve:
partial construction at the floristry business site
full construction at the floristry business site
display at the floristry business site e.g. complex window or stock display
further assembly, display and or construction at the display site e.g. an event venue.
Complex floristry products may include:
complex display or stock items
complex window displays
large, small or themed corporate displays including components constructed off-site and assembled on-site for:
exhibition centres
ball rooms
restaurants and reception centres
theatres
galleries
hotels
government buildings
hospitals
corporate offices
marquees
gardens
cruise boats
churches or chapels.
large, small or themed displays including components constructed off-site and assembled on-site for events:
corporate events
balls and banquets
themed events
industry and other awards presentations
theatrical performances
trade shows
exhibitions
floral competitions
floral festivals
weddings
parties e.g. birthdays and engagements
celebrations e.g. Christmas and St Valentine's Day
religious celebrations e.g. communions, bar mitzvahs
funerals.
floral displays produced to competition criteria
floristry arrangements of a highly creative nature and of advanced design
products of any size for any purpose using:
complex hand tied floristry techniques
complex wired floristry techniques, especially decorative wiring techniques
complex base medium construction techniques
new and emerging techniques
Fabrication and structural support requirements may include:
structural components and frameworks including:
wires
ropes
cages
fences
platforms
lighting
welded and angled grinded materials
props.
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 an event
inability to source or roster staff to meet production requirements
constraints of a short production and delivery deadline
expense of transporting floral displays and products to the display location
non-availability of the flower and plant materials
non-availability of ancillary, presentation and wrapping items
non-availability of fabrication and support materials for large displays
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 construction phase
constraints of OHS requirements
negative environmental impacts of materials chosen
inability to meet the customer preference or brief
constraints of any site where the floristry product will be displayed including:
type (internal or external)
dimensions of display area
dimensions of delivery access and storage areas
venue access times and impacts on assembling the floristry products to meet deadlines
restrictions of various venue operators such as churches, cemeteries and crematoria
size and availability of on-site assembly storage and maintenance areas
conflicting activities in on-site assembly, storage and display areas.
structural constraints of the location where floristry product will be used or displayed including:
pipes and drainage
earthwork
brickwork
stone masonry.
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
floral foam (for fresh flowers and plant materials)
floral foam (for artificial flowers and plant materials)
wreath frame (floral foam)
polystyrene
chicken wire
straw
willow vine
clay
plaster
moss
fabrication and structural support requirements.
Floristry techniques must include:
complex and other hand tied floristry techniques
complex, decorative and other wired floristry techniques
complex and other base medium construction techniques
integration of a range of hand tied, wired and base medium construction techniques
new and emerging techniques.
The range of complex floristry products to be produced must include:
custom-made floristry products in response to customer briefs
large scale corporate displays including components constructed off-site and assembled or displayed on-site
large, small and themed displays including components constructed off-site and assembled on-site for events.
Elements of design must include:
texture
form
colour
space
line.
Principles of design must include:
harmony
rhythm
balance
dominance
scale
proportion
contrast.
Wrapping and packaging materials may include:
boxes
cylinders
polypropylene
paper
cellophane
bows
ribbons
raffia
protective wrapping and packing materials for large or multiple displays - fully or partially constructed - for transportation to the display site.

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 tools and hazardous substances
ability to correctly interpret the job specifications and to visually recognise and select the correct flower and plant materials
knowledge of the elements and principles of design, their interrelationships and their effects on the style and function of floristry products, and the ability to evaluate and modify the floral design throughout the construction phase in line with these elements and principles
ability to identify and resolve, throughout the construction phase, problems that may impact on the style, function and construction of the floristry product
ability to construct multiple and diverse complex floristry products of small to large scale which must include the complex floristry products outlined in the range statement using the nominated techniques.
To ensure consistency of performance, ability to respond to different requirements and ability to use different techniques, this must occur over a period of time and cover the construction of products of varying complexities

construction of complex floristry products that meet the requirements of multiple site environments to ensure that skills can be adapted to different display contexts
completion of construction 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 complex floristry products to allow the candidate to interpret, modify and construct a range of floristry products -noting that the candidate may have also developed the design
the construction of floristry products within a floristry design, preparation and product construction environment
access to sites or event venues in which the candidate can assemble products for display
a diverse, comprehensive and commercial range of tools 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, wrapping and packaging items that can be used during the construction 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 constructing a range of floristry products
project activities to construct floristry products for a local community organisation or an event delivered by the training college
review of floristry competition judgements
evaluation of a range of floristry products constructed by the candidate
review of a comprehensive portfolio prepared by the candidate that documents the entire construction process inclusive of notes on the interpretation of the job specifications, records of any problems encountered, justifications for varying the design and an evaluation of the final constructed product
case studies to assess the ability to react to different problems that arise during the construction 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 matters such as the elements and principles of design, minimal impact practices and the suitability of different techniques for different styles of product
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:
SFLDEC407A Design complex floristry products
SFLDEC409A Coordinate floristry products for a special occasion.