The face behind Puppeteer Floral Design Studio, Yuka Konno mostly creates her designs for clients who have an illness or who are balding.
Yuka said: “I found it hard to express my message and emotions fully by just creating arrangements in a vase, but with Hananingen, I am creating and arranging flowers on a person to highlight their beauty.”
Yuka studied a Certificate III in Floristry at TAFE NSW Padstow and has recently graduated with a Certificate IV in Floristry.
She was awarded the TAFE NSW Bernie Gadd award for Design Excellence, which was the highest honour of the year for Western Sydney students.
“I didn’t have much knowledge of flowers before I started studying at TAFE NSW, but the teachers taught in a way where I could learn in a hands-on environment and gain practical skills and experience as I progressed through the course,” Yuka said.
“I had many opportunities to thrive in the industry while studying at TAFE NSW. I won the NSW Flower Growers Scholarship in 2018, which went towards my Certificate IV in Floristry. I really like that teachers always support and gave us the opportunities to challenge ourselves.”
The Flower Growers Association also awarded TAFE NSW ‘Training School of the Year’ for the third year in a row this October.
TAFE NSW Floristry Head Teacher Joanne Hynard said: “It is a great testament to the quality of training TAFE NSW is providing for its students to be recognised as the best training provider in the industry.”
