Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung (BIBB)

Designation of occupation

Upholsterer (m/f)

Duration of traineeship

3 years

The venues for training delivery are the training company and the vocational school

Field of activity

Upholsterers manufacture upholstered furniture and matresses in compliance with industrial safety and environmental protection requirements and taking due account of functional and commercial considerations. They use various materials, including wood and wood derivatives, sheet textiles, leather, synthetic leather, plastics and metals. Likewise varied are the duties which these skilled workers carry out in addition to their actual upholstering work: preparation of frames, cutting, covering, decorating and assembly. Their field of activity also covers organizational duties for the pre-production and production stages and the restoration of upholstered furniture taking due account of historical style and aesthetic considerations.

Occupational skills

Upholsterers carry out their work unaided on the basis of technical documents. As upholstery materials they use sprung interiors, expanded plastics and foam rubber. They also use traditional techniques, e.g. individually sewn and upholstered springs. They observe quality assurance requirements and are competent in appraising the quality of the end product. As a result of their initial training, upholsterers are competent in assuming responsibility for their own field of activity and for ensuring cooperation within the enterprise.
The following skills developed during training are applied in their regular work:

• selection and processing of textile materials and inputs, leather, synthetic leather, wood and wood derivatives, plastics and metals with reference to their intended purpose and economic efficiency;
• development of documentation for the production stages and capture of technical data on the work process and the end products;
• finishing of surfaces by applying staining, colouring and coating agents;
• setting up, operation, monitoring and maintenance of plant and machinery;
• handling systems for the automated capture and evaluation of operating data and electronically controlled devices in plant and machinery;
• preparation of bases by producing and inserting load-bearing and elastic sections, bounting the sprung base and the sprung interior and covering the springs;
• development of cutting patterns which make optimal use of the fabric available;
• production of upholstered elements and matresses using various upholstery techniques;
• covering of upholstered elements using various techniques for dividing and shaping the upholstered surface;
• decoration of upholstered products and assembly of semi-finished elements;
• quality assessment and initiation of quality assurance measures.

Last modified on: December 12, 2006