AIFD Approves Four Floral Schools

Ellen C. Wells

The American Institute of Floral Designers (www.aifd.org) has approved four private floral design schools to be Education Pathway providers for the new Certified Floral Designer (CFD) program.

To be an approved CFD Education Pathway provider, the school must be an AIFD Education Partner, have AIFD-level designers on the teaching faculty and have a curriculum that meets the CFD education learning objectives.

The first four schools to meet the standards are the Benz School of Floral Design in College Station, Texas; the Floral Design Institute in Portland, Oregon; Koehler & Dramm’s Institute of Floristry in Minneapolis, Minnesota; and the South Florida Center for Floral Studies in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The new CFD professional designation program offers five Education Pathway options to candidates wishing to enroll in the program, with one completed Education Pathway a requirement for enrollment. In addition to study at an approved school, the options include a series of online and classroom sessions presented by AIFD; personal self-evaluations for those who have been in the floral business for more than three years; approved courses offered by various state florists associations offering state certification, or graduation from an institution of higher education with a degree or major including floral design/floristry.