Specialist for leather processing

The specialists for leather processing occupy a small, exclusive niche in the world of occupations requiring vocational training. In the whole of Germany, some 60 apprentices are trained as shoe experts each year, most of which are women. Now the vocational training has been reorganised.

Manufacturing shoes or sewing a leather wallet - for this purpose there existed until recently the profession of the so-called shoe or leather goods quilter. After some 50 years not only the vocational training was modernised now but it also received a new occupational title: Specialist for leather processing.

"For the first time since the 1960s, the occupational profile and the curricula have been modernised to reflect the state-of-the-art", says Uwe Thamm from the International Shoe Competence Centre in Pirmasens. "In the course of modernisation, the vocational training was adapted to reflect the developments and augmented by new content matter." This includes, for instance, knowledge regarding the selection and evaluation of the material. Moreover, quality management and the relationship with customers and suppliers are given greater attention.

According to the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) in Bonn, the two-year vocational training is not just about shoes, although they constitute the largest field of application in this occupation. Yet in addition there are also the classical leather goods, such as bags, suitcases, cases and pouches, wallets and purses as well as belts. Furthermore, new fields of application arise - for instance, at upholsterers, interior designers of vehicles and suppliers to the automotive industry.