A footwear manufacturer is someone who produces children’s, ladies’ or men’s shoes, boots, sports and dance footwear, trainers or slippers within a factory or smaller studio production environment. Footwear manufacturing is a highly respected, skilled trade.
The British footwear manufacturing industry has a very high reputation internationally, and supports the pursuit of excellence in its traditional craft skills whilst also embracing innovation and technology. There are approximately 30 larger footwear manufacturers in the UK and 60 smaller specialist footwear making businesses. They manufacture circa 5.6million pairs of shoes per year, with a value of £380 million. Almost half of the footwear produced in the UK is exported. The industry employs 4000 people, approximately half of those are footwear manufacturers.
Footwear manufacturers may work in a small-scale operation making specialist or bespoke/personalised footwear, through to larger factories with extensive teams and departments, usually producing larger runs of the same piece of footwear. Regardless of which methods the employers use, footwear manufacturers know and understand the end-to-end process of how to manufacture a piece of footwear. The working hours are typically Monday to Friday.
Footwear manufacturers work quickly and accurately using hand tools, technical equipment and machinery. They consistently and accurately follow their employer’s specifications for each piece of footwear within agreed timescales and to the required quality standard. They have great attention to detail and quality and are ever mindful of health and safety.
Footwear manufacturers are very much part of a team, they report to Team Leaders, Supervisors or Owners. They may also interact with Production Managers, General Managers and Quality Managers and production colleagues. In smaller firms, footwear manufacturers may also deal directly with clients and designers.
Typical day-to-day duties may include:
Cutting materials (mostly leather)
Skiving (thinning the material)
Closing (sewing the upper part of the footwear),
Lasting (forming the footwear)
Attaching the sole
Finishing the footwear
Quality inspection and packing to company specification
Some Footwear Manufacturers choose to stay in production, while others progress to team leadership, management and beyond. Further training and production experience in making footwear may also lead to highly skilled specialist production roles crafting the very highest quality footwear. Summary of Standard https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/footwear-manufacturer/ Full Standard https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/media/2616/st0202_footwear-manufacturer_l2_ap_for_publication_30012019.pdf
