Catherine Date works for Flowers International in Bridgwater, Somerset, and has worked there since leaving school.

For people like Catherine, who enjoy being creative, floristry can be the perfect career. "I always wanted a creative job - I couldn`t see myself doing a desk job," says Catherine. "Mum and Dad are both keen gardeners, so the interest with flowers really came from them."

When Catherine was at school, her local careers service gave her all the information she needed about courses and training schemes in floristry. Since entering the world of work, Catherine`s employers have been supportive of her developing her career, through teaching floristry to others and taking part in floristry competitions. "Whilst I have been working at the shop, I have always been given lots of opportunities to pursue my career in whichever way I wanted," says Catherine.

So how did Catherine get into the floristry profession? "I did a weeks work experience at the shop when I was in year 10 of secondary school," she explains. "I kept in touch and a few months later I started as a Saturday girl. Then, once I had left school, I worked at the shop full-time and went to college one day a week."

Catherine has now been working in floristry for 6 ½ years, having left school with 11 GCSEs at grade C and above.

Since starting her career, Catherine has been keen to train and increase her skills. She has achieved an NVQ Level 2 in Floristry, a National Certificate in Professional Floristry, and passed her Interflora Certificate of Proficiency exams! She is currently working towards a Certificate in Education, and has also attended many floristry workshops.

"I have learnt many things from these courses and have developed my knowledge and competency," says Catherine. "I am always looking to develop my skills and learn more about the industry. Day courses are my favourite, specialising in certain areas of floristry. However, I am always enthusiastic about short or long term courses."

"At the shop we work as a team to get things done," Catherine says of her role at Flowers International. A typical day for Catherine can include setting out the front of the shop, replacing and replenishing the shop`s stock, and processing orders from the shop`s website – demonstrating that a career in floristry requires more than just creative skills!

However, Catherine`s flair for design comes into it`s own when she creates orders for delivery to, or collection by, the shop`s customers. Her daily tasks include; making up bouquets, buttonholes, wreaths, and more for occasions ranging from weddings to funerals, and even corporate displays for local businesses. Good customer service is essential, as Catherine is sometimes the first point of contact for shop customers, and has to deal with any queries or complaints. She also has a lot of responsibility, as she is often responsible for cashing up at the end of the day and closing up the shop.

"Although each day is different, most of the time is taken up by serving the customers and making up orders for them," says Catherine. In the height of the wedding season, Catherine goes out to visit venues with brides and completes a lot of wedding work.

Catherine obviously thinks she has made the right career choice. "I really love all of the job," she says. "My favourite bit, however, is taking the wedding orders. I love being part of someone`s big day and making arrangements that they have always dreamed of."