Making Our Mark: Sylwia

There is no “fairytale” behind Sylwia’s entry into the world of floristry, but a rather common story in many family businesses. Her mother owned a flower shop in Białystok, Poland, and had been trying to hire a skilled florist without success. So, she asked Sylwia to join her and learn the trade.

Although Sylwia always imagined herself as a lawyer, she accepted her mother’s proposition and worked with her on the weekends while still in high school. She also joined a prestigious private floristry school in Warsaw, 200km away from her city, which she attended a few times a week.

Sylwia was determined to become a good professional. She earned the qualification of Florist and, later, of Master Florist, and went on to study Landscape Architecture at the Białystok University of Technology.

“Becoming an engineer deepened my understanding of design, space, and aesthetics, enriching my approach to floristry,” says Sylwia, while admitting that her main motivation was to obtain a degree that could enable her to become a trainer in the future. “In Poland, we do not have a specific floristry course as part of the technical and vocational education and training system. I thought that, if later on, the course would be incorporated in high schools, this was the closest field to floristry at the higher education level.”

Her WorldSkills journey started almost by accident, when she saw a post on the Polish Association of Floristry’s Facebook page calling for candidates for EuroSkills Budapest 2018. She applied and got selected, and after that she represented Poland at WorldSkills Kazan 2019.

For the past ten years, Sylwia has been co-managing the family business, Pracownia Florystyczna Girlanda, alongside her mother. Together, they specialize in floral decorations for weddings, where they have built a reputation for their “creative and elegant designs.”

Sylwia also went on to study law and criminology in parallel to her career as a florist, and has recently started her legal apprenticeship with the aim of becoming an advocate in the future.

“I don’t think I have to choose between law and floristry. I don’t see the problem in being an amazing advocate Monday to Friday, and working as a florist on the weekends,” says Sylwia.

A 2018 survey published by CEDEFOP revealed that while people in Poland had a good opinion of vocational education and that there is a renewed interest in TVET and in rebuilding its positive image, most people still considered general education to have a better image.

“I always wanted to show people that you can be a smart person, and decide that you want to be a florist,” says Sylwia, who believes that skills should be seen as not just “practical abilities” but pathways to a “successful and fulfilling life.”

She believes that the ability to master a skill, and continuously improve upon it, is invaluable, providing a deep sense of accomplishment. In her opinion, part of the problem lies in the fact that many feel discouraged for a lack of public recognition of their work.

“You can be a champion in anything you are doing right now. It doesn’t matter what it is,” she said, adding, “In every skill, in every job, you can try to be the best and show your expertise to people.”

After competing at WorldSkills, Sylwia continues to be part of the WorldSkills community. She has served in several roles, including WorkShop Manager for SkillsPoland 2022, and for EuroSkills Gdańsk 2023, where she was also invited to deliver an impassioned speech at the Opening Ceremony.

Discover more inspiring stories in our Making Our Mark campaign.