Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung (BIBB)

Designation of occupation

footwear maker and finisher (m/f)

Duration of traineeship

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

Field of activity

footwear maker and finisher manufacture footwear of all types using industrial production techniques. Their product range covers not only classical men's, ladies' and children's shoes but also mountaineering and hiking boots, riding boots and protective footwear. Alongside modern synthetic materials, natural leather is still the material most often used in footwear manufacture. Footwear maker and finisher are trained to carry out all work processes involved in manufacturing footwear. They use both conventional and also the very latest production technologies.

Occupational skills

footwear maker and finisher

• select leather and other materials and consumables on the basis of the intended purpose and considerations of economic efficiency;
• prepare technical documentation and determine work sequences;
• cut and click parts for shoe upper and base;
• prepare parts of the shoe upper, particularly by spliting, skiving and folding;
• stitch shoe uppers and lining parts together and apply decorative stitching;
• prepare the parts for the base;
• join shoe uppers and base parts using various techniques;
• prepare shoes for sale and dispatch, mainly by applying different finishing techniques;
• assess product quality and initiate quality assurance measures.

Last modified on: December 12, 2006