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Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers Occupation Detailed Description

Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers career

General Job Description and Education/Training Levels for Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers

The main tasks and work activities of Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers are to cut fabrics, attach decorative or functional accessories to products, align parts or workpieces to ensure proper assembly, sew clothing or other articles. In general, for the Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers, active Listening and other -2 skills are required.
Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers Job Description
EducationThese occupations usually require a high school diploma.
Related ExperienceSome previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
Job TrainingEmployees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
ExampleThese occupations often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include orderlies, counter and rental clerks, customer service representatives, security guards, upholsterers, and tellers.
The following chart shows the education/training levels for Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers jobs. 56.04% of Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers have High School Diploma (or the equivalent) and 0.33% of Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers have Post-Secondary Certificate.
Less than a High School Diploma
17.74%
High School Diploma (or the equivalent)
56.04%
Post-Secondary Certificate
0.33%
Some College Courses
21.62%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
2.41%
Bachelor's Degree and Above
1.86%

Tasks and Work Activities of Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers

  • Cut out parts, following patterns or outlines, using knives, shears, scissors, or machine presses.
  • Construct, decorate, or repair leather products according to specifications, using sewing machines, needles and thread, leather lacing, glue, clamps, hand tools, or rivets.
  • Align and stitch or glue materials such as fabric, fleece, leather, or wood, to join parts.
  • Dye, soak, polish, paint, stamp, stitch, stain, buff, or engrave leather or other materials to obtain desired effects, decorations, or shapes.
  • Select materials and patterns, and trace patterns onto materials to be cut out.
  • Dress and otherwise finish boots or shoes, as by trimming the edges of new soles and heels to the shoe shape.
  • Estimate the costs of requested products or services such as custom footwear or footwear repair, and receive payment from customers.
  • Attach insoles to shoe lasts, affix shoe uppers, and apply heels and outsoles.
  • Cement, nail, or sew soles and heels to shoes.
  • Shape shoe heels with a knife, and sand them on a buffing wheel for smoothness.
  • Repair or replace soles, heels, and other parts of footwear, using sewing, buffing and other shoe repair machines, materials, and equipment.
  • Make, modify, and repair orthopedic or therapeutic footwear according to doctors' prescriptions, or modify existing footwear for people with foot problems and special needs.
  • Repair and recondition leather products such as trunks, luggage, shoes, saddles, belts, purses, and baseball gloves.
  • Place shoes on lasts to remove soles and heels, using knives or pliers.
  • Clean and polish shoes.
  • Check the texture, color, and strength of leather to ensure that it is adequate for a particular purpose.
  • Read prescriptions or specifications, and take measurements to establish the type of product to be made, using calipers, tape measures, or rules.
  • Inspect articles for defects, and remove damaged or worn parts, using hand tools.
  • Drill or punch holes and insert or attach metal rings, handles, and fastening hardware, such as buckles.
  • Attach accessories or ornamentation to decorate or protect products.
  • Handling and Moving ObjectsUsing hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
  • Performing General Physical ActivitiesPerforming physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesProviding information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and EventsIdentifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
  • Controlling Machines and ProcessesUsing either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal RelationshipsDeveloping constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
  • Getting InformationObserving, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing WorkDeveloping specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
  • Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or MaterialInspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
  • Monitor Processes, Materials, or SurroundingsMonitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
  • Cut fabrics.
  • Attach decorative or functional accessories to products.
  • Align parts or workpieces to ensure proper assembly.
  • Sew clothing or other articles.
  • Prepare fabrics or materials for processing or production.
  • Draw guide lines or markings on materials or workpieces using patterns or other references.
  • Select production input materials.
  • Trim excess material from workpieces.
  • Estimate costs of products, services, or materials.
  • Assemble garments or textile products.
  • Adjust fabrics or other materials during garment production.
  • Operate sewing equipment.
  • Repair textiles or apparel.
  • Construct customized assistive medical or dental devices.
  • Mount materials or workpieces onto production equipment.
  • Apply water or solutions to fabrics or apparel.
  • Polish materials, workpieces, or finished products.
  • Evaluate quality of materials or products.
  • Measure clients to ensure proper product fit.
  • Read work orders or other instructions to determine product specifications or materials requirements.

Skills and Abilities for Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers

  • Active ListeningGiving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Near VisionThe ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Finger DexterityThe ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
  • Manual DexterityThe ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
  • Arm-Hand SteadinessThe ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
  • Multilimb CoordinationThe ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
  • Control PrecisionThe ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
  • Sewing machinese.g. Automatic sole stitchers
  • Leather cutting machinese.g. Bench trimmers
  • Planese.g. Block planes
  • Power bufferse.g. Buffing wheels
  • Pullerse.g. Cobblers' pincers
  • Inkjet printerse.g. Computer inkjet printers
  • Power drillse.g. Cordless drills
  • Magnetic stripe readers and encoderse.g. Credit card readers
  • Caliperse.g. Digital calipers
  • Bench scalese.g. Digital scales
  • Cash registerse.g. Electronic cash registers
  • Hand clampse.g. Hand clamps
  • Shearse.g. Heavy duty scissors
  • Shoe heelpiece machinee.g. Heel-nailing machines
  • Leatherworking workshop equipmente.g. Hole punching equipment
  • Sewing machinese.g. Industrial sewing machines
  • Blade sharpenere.g. Knife sharpeners
  • Awlse.g. Leather awls
  • Punches or nail sets or driftse.g. Leather drive punch sets
  • Awlse.g. Leather punchers
  • Customer and Personal ServiceKnowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.