AIFD News > CFD UPDATE: Special Task Force Continues to Improve CFD Program

AIFD News

CFD UPDATE
Special Task Force Continues to Improve CFD Program

(Baltimore, MD) — A special AIFD task force met in Miami over a weekend in April
to work on the continued development of an initiative to launch a Certified Floral Designer (CFD) program aimed at expanding the education of floral designers while simultaneously recognizing those who demonstrate proficiencies in the art of floral design.

The group included Education Committee members Chairman Joyce Mason- Monheim, Sylvia Bird, Roger Dennis, and Past President Lynne Moss; CFD Task Force members Chairman Bill McKinley (who chaired the special task force), Eldon Haab and Mary Linda Horn; Marketing Committee Chairman Emmett O’Dell; Membership Committee 1st Vice Chair Vonda LaFever; and Executive Committee members President Tom Simmons, President Elect Walter Fedyshyn, Vice President Tina Stoecker and Executive Director Tom Shaner as well as Past President Eddie Payne. Their meeting was held in conjunction with a site inspection of Miami in consideration of it being the host city for the 2012 National Symposium.

While several decisions were made for recommendation to the AIFD Board of Directors, several important concerns still need to be addressed by the task force; most
importantly making the program affordable. The task force is striving to develop mechanisms that will assure the Institute that floral design education outcomes have been achieved before a designer would be eligible to be evaluated for his or her design skills. The CFD program would be a stepping stone to the goal of ultimately becoming a member of AIFD and joining the Institute in its mission to expand the art of professional floral design.

Among the decisions that were made for recommendation are that designers who complete appropriate design education courses offered by AIFD Education Partners or who have completed their studies as a part of an AIFD Student Chapter would be eligible to apply to be evaluated for the CFD designation.

Further, in recognition of the quality of the floral design education required of certain state certification programs as well as a desire to work cooperatively and strengthen those programs while expanding others, it was agreed to recommend that designers who complete those programs also be eligible to apply to be evaluated (the state programs must meet expected classroom education outcomes as recommended by AIFD).

The next step for the task force is the refinement of a pathway to the evaluation of florists whose states do not offer such programs. Consideration was given to the development of preliminary computer-based learning programs as well as intensive advanced “hands-on” classroom courses followed by the design evaluation session. The primary issue is the cost associated with this pathway.

“While we recognize the ultimate value of the education we would deliver, we have to be realistic in terms of motivating designers to aspire to the new designation and we don’t want the cost to offset that goal,” said President Simmons. “The CFD program needs to help expand floral design education; on that we all agreed.”

“We are striving for a pre-evaluation education requirement,” said McKinley, “but no matter what we are able to develop, we will emphasize the need for education by requiring those who earn the CFD designation to meet continuing education standards in order to maintain their certification.”

Before the special task force concluded its work in Miami, it made assignments to the various committees (Education, CFD Task Force, Membership and Marketing) for them to work on during their meetings on July 3rd prior to the National Symposium in Chicago.

“The CFD program has the potential to be one of AIFD’s greatest contributions to the entire floral industry,” stressed President-Elect Fedyshyn. “If we can motivate floral designers to improve their artistry and techniques through education, we will be able to not only help produce a more well-rounded floral designer who can deliver a better product to the consumer, we will also be helping other floral associations by providing them a tool to use in attracting florists to their various education opportunities.”

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