Tahlia channels her creative flair into a career in floristry

Bendigo local Tahlia Andrews always knew she was creative, but she was not quite sure how to transform her creative energy into a sustainable career that she would look forward to doing every day.

“I’ve always liked painting and I’ve started making jewellery,” says Tahlia. “I’ve never been sporty, I’ve always been hands on. I like creating stuff!”

She came across an advertisement for a florist apprenticeship, applied for it, and got it. She hasn’t looked back since.

“It’s a lot of fun,” says Tahlia. “Sometimes you have to follow a pre-designed picture to create an arrangement, but other times you can create from scratch and let your creativity shine. The flowers are different every day so you get to experiment!”

Tahlia commenced her Certificate III in Floristry in late 2021 at MM College in Melbourne. She attended classes one day a week while working as a full-time apprentice at The Flower Spot in Bendigo.

“The course started with the basics like learning the tools, serving and prepping the flowers,” she recalls. “Then it became progressively harder as we learned how to create bouquets, then more complex arrangements and wire work.”

“I found that the skills I was learning in the course I was able to practise in the workplace. It all fitted together really well.”

Although the course is three years, it is competency based, so Tahlia was able to complete it in 18 months. By early 2023, she had achieved her dream of becoming a fully qualified florist, at the age of 21.

Tahlia’s teachers at MM College encouraged her to compete in a regional skills competition, which she won. This inspired her to go on to compete at the 2023 WorldSkills Australia National Championships, where she won the Floristry category.

“It was such a good experience, and I learned different skills and techniques I may not have learned otherwise,” she says.

“It was really out of my comfort zone as I didn’t know anyone at first, but I made some great memories with new friends from across Victoria and interstate.”

Tahlia’s typical workday includes setting up the floral displays in the shop each morning, looking after flowers arriving from the market, and creating the flower orders for the day. She also enjoys serving customers in between.

“Living in a smaller community like Bendigo means you get to know your customers. I always try to remember their names and their favourite flowers,” says Tahlia. “Often they remember my name too!”

Tahlia aspires to open her own florist shop one day, with a special focus on wedding arrangements.

“My favourite part of the job is wedding flowers. Putting up an arbour and seeing it develop from just a bucket of flowers to an amazing floral piece is really satisfying.”

Tahlia highly recommends floristry to anyone with a creative flair.

“It is such a rewarding, fun job. It lights up people’s faces when they see their idea come to life from the flowers they have chosen.”