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Date: 06/15/2025

Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers

Construct, decorate, or repair leather and leather-like products, such as luggage, shoes, and saddles. May use hand tools.

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    Work Activities

    Work Activities

    • Read prescriptions or specifications, and take measurements to establish the type of product to be made, using calipers, tape measures, or rules.
    • 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.
    • Repair or replace soles, heels, and other parts of footwear, using sewing, buffing and other shoe repair machines, materials, and equipment.
    • Prepare inserts, heel pads, and lifts from casts of customers' feet.
    • Draw patterns, using measurements, designs, plaster casts, or customer specifications, and position or outline patterns on work pieces.
    • Attach insoles to shoe lasts, affix shoe uppers, and apply heels and outsoles.
    • 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.
    • Construct, decorate, or repair leather products according to specifications, using sewing machines, needles and thread, leather lacing, glue, clamps, hand tools, or rivets.
    • Repair or replace soles, heels, and other parts of footwear, using sewing, buffing and other shoe repair machines, materials, and equipment.
    • Align and stitch or glue materials such as fabric, fleece, leather, or wood, to join parts.
    • Re-sew seams, and replace handles and linings of suitcases or handbags.
    • Estimate the costs of requested products or services such as custom footwear or footwear repair, and receive payment from customers.
    • Repair and recondition leather products such as trunks, luggage, shoes, saddles, belts, purses, and baseball gloves.
    • Dye, soak, polish, paint, stamp, stitch, stain, buff, or engrave leather or other materials to obtain desired effects, decorations, or shapes.
    • Cut out parts, following patterns or outlines, using knives, shears, scissors, or machine presses.
    • Clean and polish shoes.
    • Draw patterns, using measurements, designs, plaster casts, or customer specifications, and position or outline patterns on work pieces.
    • Shape shoe heels with a knife, and sand them on a buffing wheel for smoothness.
    • Re-sew seams, and replace handles and linings of suitcases or handbags.
    • Stretch shoes, dampening parts and inserting and twisting parts, using an adjustable stretcher.
    • Place shoes on lasts to remove soles and heels, using knives or pliers.
    • Clean and polish shoes.
    • Cement, nail, or sew soles and heels to shoes.
    • Make, modify, and repair orthopedic or therapeutic footwear according to doctors' prescriptions, or modify existing footwear for people with foot problems and special needs.
    • Select materials and patterns, and trace patterns onto materials to be cut out.
    • Attach accessories or ornamentation to decorate or protect products.
    • Cut, insert, position, and secure paddings, cushioning, or linings, using stitches or glue.
    • Check the texture, color, and strength of leather to ensure that it is adequate for a particular purpose.
    • Nail heel and toe cleats onto shoes.
    • Align and stitch or glue materials such as fabric, fleece, leather, or wood, to join parts.
    • Read prescriptions or specifications, and take measurements to establish the type of product to be made, using calipers, tape measures, or rules.
    • Dress and otherwise finish boots or shoes, as by trimming the edges of new soles and heels to the shoe shape.
    • Drill or punch holes and insert or attach metal rings, handles, and fastening hardware, such as buckles.

    Skills

    • Systems Analysis

      Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

    • Operations Analysis

      Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.

    • Technology Design

      Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    • Writing

      Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    • Coordination

      Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

    • Management of Personnel Resources

      Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    • Monitoring

      Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

    • Programming

      Writing computer programs.

    • Service Orientation

      Looking for ways to help people.

    • Science

      Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    • Speaking

      Talking to others.

    • Active Listening

      Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

    • Reading Comprehension

      Reading work-related information.

    • Learning Strategies

      Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

    • Management of Material Resources

      Managing equipment and materials.

    • Active Learning

      Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    • Systems Evaluation

      Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

    • Operation and Control

      Using equipment or systems.

    • Equipment Maintenance

      Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    • Management of Financial Resources

      Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    • Equipment Selection

      Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

    • Negotiation

      Bringing people together to solve differences.

    • Judgment and Decision Making

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

    • Repairing

      Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    • Mathematics

      Using math to solve problems.

    • Troubleshooting

      Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

    • Complex Problem Solving

      Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

    • Quality Control Analysis

      Testing how well a product or service works.

    • Time Management

      Managing your time and the time of other people.

    • Operations Monitoring

      Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

    • Instructing

      Teaching people how to do something.

    • Installation

      Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

    • Social Perceptiveness

      Understanding people's reactions.

    • Critical Thinking

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

    • Persuasion

      Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

    WorkKeys®

    Applied Math
    3
    Workplace Documents
    4
    Graphic Literacy
    4

    Abilities

    • Visual Color Discrimination

      Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

    • Hearing Sensitivity

      Telling the difference between sounds.

    • Written Comprehension

      Reading and understanding what is written.

    • Flexibility of Closure

      Seeing hidden patterns.

    • Static Strength

      Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    • Response Orientation

      Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

    • Fluency of Ideas

      Coming up with lots of ideas.

    • Originality

      Creating new and original ideas.

    • Time Sharing

      Doing two or more things at the same time.

    • Memorization

      Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

      Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    • Perceptual Speed

      Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

    • Speed of Limb Movement

      Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    • Peripheral Vision

      Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    • Multilimb Coordination

      Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.

    • Speech Clarity

      Speaking clearly.

    • Inductive Reasoning

      Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.

    • Manual Dexterity

      Holding or moving items with your hands.

    • Control Precision

      Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

    • Visualization

      Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

    • Sound Localization

      Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    • Rate Control

      Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

    • Reaction Time

      Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.

    • Extent Flexibility

      Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Category Flexibility

      Grouping things in different ways.

    • Speed of Closure

      Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    • Auditory Attention

      Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

    • Explosive Strength

      Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

    • Trunk Strength

      Using your lower back and stomach.

    • Spatial Orientation

      Knowing where things are around you.

    • Written Expression

      Communicating by writing.

    • Near Vision

      Seeing details up close.

    • Far Vision

      Seeing details that are far away.

    • Dynamic Flexibility

      Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Wrist-Finger Speed

      Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.

    • Night Vision

      Seeing at night or under low light.

    • Glare Sensitivity

      Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

    • Problem Sensitivity

      Noticing when problems happen.

    • Oral Comprehension

      Listening and understanding what people say.

    • Oral Expression

      Communicating by speaking.

    • Information Ordering

      Ordering or arranging things.

    • Mathematical Reasoning

      Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

    • Number Facility

      Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

    • Dynamic Strength

      Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    • Stamina

      Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

    • Finger Dexterity

      Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    • Gross Body Coordination

      Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

    • Deductive Reasoning

      Using rules to solve problems.

    • Selective Attention

      Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    • Gross Body Equilibrium

      Keeping your balance or staying upright.

    • Depth Perception

      Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

    • Speech Recognition

      Recognizing spoken words.

    Knowledge

    • Transportation

      Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    • Administrative

      Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

    • Communications and Media

      Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

    • Production and Processing

      Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

    • Engineering and Technology

      Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

    • Law and Government

      Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    • Geography

      Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

    • Administration and Management

      Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

    • Physics

      Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

    • Philosophy and Theology

      Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    • History and Archeology

      Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

    • Customer and Personal Service

      Knowledge 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.

    • Building and Construction

      Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

    • English Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

    • Public Safety and Security

      Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

    • Computers and Electronics

      Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

    • Sociology and Anthropology

      Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

    • Chemistry

      Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

    • Mechanical

      Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

    • Personnel and Human Resources

      Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

    • Food Production

      Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

    • Therapy and Counseling

      Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

    • Education and Training

      Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    • Biology

      Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

    • Economics and Accounting

      Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    • Mathematics

      Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

    • Psychology

      Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

    • Foreign Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

    • Medicine and Dentistry

      Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

    • Fine Arts

      Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

    • Telecommunications

      Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

    • Design

      Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

    • Sales and Marketing

      Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

    Career Video

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    Pay

    • Ohio Annual Salary 29540/yr
    • Typical Salary
    • Ohio Hourly Wage 14.2/hr
    • Typical Hourly Wage

    Ohio Employment Trends

    • Currently Employed 200
    • Yearly Projected Openings 20

    Typical Education

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.They do well at jobs that need:
    • Cooperation
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Independence
    • Analytical Thinking
    • Concern for Others

    Tools

    • Anatomical models
    • Applicator brushes
    • Awls
    • Bench scales
    • Blade sharpener
    • Calipers
    • Cash registers
    • Hammers
    • Hand clamps
    • Inkjet printers
    • Leather cutting machines
    • Leather presses
    • Leather riveting machines
    • Leatherworking workshop equipment
    • Magnetic stripe readers and encoders
    • Personal computers
    • Planes
    • Polishing machines
    • Power buffers
    • Power drills
    • Protective gloves
    • Pullers
    • Punches or nail sets or drifts
    • Razor knives
    • Rotary paper or fabric cutter
    • Rulers
    • Sanding machines
    • Sewing machines
    • Sewing needles
    • Shears
    • Shoe heelpiece machine
    • Slip or groove joint pliers
    • Tape measures
    • Utility knives
    • Wire brushes
    • Wire cutters

    Technology

    • Accounting software
    • Inventory management software
    • Point of sale POS software
    • Spreadsheet software

    Tags

    • Apprenticeships are available for this occupation. These programs can help you get hands-on experience and build your skills.

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