Turn Christmas cheer into a creative career with VET

Could you create an enchanting Santa’s Wonderland with only a white box of a room? That’s what visual merchandiser Natalie Coulter has done, in the northern NSW town of Lismore. At the request of Lismore City Council, she turned a vacant shop in the main street into an enticing grotto where kids can visit Santa.

“I love the magic you can conjure up using your creativity,” Natalie says of her job. “You can transform any space. You can start with an empty box and turn it into something spectacular.”

Sydney-based Natalie runs her own small business, Belle Flaneur. Her clients have included Westfield, Revlon, Dymocks and Sportsgirl. She designs window settings and in-store displays, and sets up lighting to show off products. Natalie also sources props to create scenes and arranges signs and promotional materials.

Santa's Wonderland, Lismore. Images courtesy of Natalie Coulter (top right), Belle Flaneur

Training to be a visual merchandiser with VET

VET opens doors to opportunities in a wide range of industries, including visual and creative industries.

As well as run her own business, Natalie teaches the Diploma in Visual Merchandising part-time. She believes strongly that getting a qualification gives you a headstart in the industry. The Diploma of Visual Merchandising is subsidised under the government’s Smart and Skilled program – which means you pay much lower fees.

“A training course really helps to build your confidence and understand the language, the skills and what it is to be a visual merchandiser,” she says. “You’ll do work placements, and at the end we’ll help you look for a job with an employer that suits your interests.”

Natalie adds that some retailers pay staff more when they have a qualification. “Having the diploma makes you more employable, and you’ll feel ready to go out into the industry,” she says. “You’ll be able to say, ‘This is what I am!’”

Why visual merchandising is a great career

One of the benefits of becoming a visual merchandiser is that you can earn money from your creativity, and that’s not always easy to do. “It’s a commercial field where you can apply your talents to industry and make a living out of it,” Natalie says.

It’s a role that is also in high demand. The need for visual merchandisers has been growing strongly over the past five years, and that’s likely to continue – with 1,000 job openings each year.

Is this the job for you?

Natalie reveals some key skills to make it in this creative, fast-paced industry. Learn these and more with a VET course:

• An eye for design and composition. “You need to be interested in trends and curious about a lot of things, including colours and how they work with each other.”
• Creative thinking and problem–solving. “You need a sense of play and adventure.”
• Attention to detail. “You need to have high standards – it’s not for the slap dash.”
• Energy and passion. “A good visual merchandiser needs to be strong, motivated and energetic, because the work can be incredibly physical. You won’t need a gym membership!”