Producing or manufacturing leather goods for a number of markets.
Set within an industry steeped in tradition, the leather trade supports the pursuit of excellence in its traditional craft skills whilst also embracing innovation and technology. The leather craftsperson is a fundamental occupational role in the leather trade and in a sector that contributes in excess of £700 million to the British economy.
British leather and leather products have an international and iconic reputation and the continued success of the sector will depend on maintaining a skilled, well-trained workforce.
‘Leather craftsperson’ is a broad description of someone who either produces the leather or manufactures leather goods for a number of markets from sporting pursuits, such as equestrian, golf and cricket applications, to high-end retail luxury goods, such as handbags luggage and lifestyle accessories.
An employee in this occupation may work in a small enterprise producing or manufacturing specialist leather/leathergoods or in a wider factory setting as part of a production or manufacturing team producing to larger orders. They will be able to work just as effectively on their own or as part of a wider team. In both instances they will understand the impact of their role on those working around them.
The Standard is designed to give an overarching range of skills, knowledge and behaviours appropriate to both the production of leather and the manufacture of leather goods. The former involving taking raw skin and hides and converting them through chemical and mechanical processing, to produce leather ready for a variety of applications. The latter involving taking leather and forming a finished product from it, often involving processes such as stitching and cutting.
Regardless of which methods the employers’ use, leather craftspeople will know and understand the end-to-end process of how leather is produced and the manufacturing processes required to produce a final leathergoods product.
An employee in this occupation will be responsible for working efficiently and accurately to agreed product specifications and customer requirements, using both hand and machine skills, within agreed production deadlines and to the required quality standard. In their daily work they will report to line managers and supervisors and often will interact with production colleagues. Typical working pattern is Monday to Friday.
Typical day-to-day duties may include:
Occupational Brief
The Trailblazer Group have prepared a recommended occupational brief for this apprenticeship standard.
| Duty | KSBs |
|---|---|
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Duty 1 contribute to the production of leather (processing and finishing) in line with specification, which may include procedures in:- Beamhouse processing;- Post-tanning processing;- Surface finishing;- Leather finishing (Drying of hides);- Quality control (Testing / Grading) |
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 |
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Duty 2 quality check materials and components for faults |
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Duty 3 undertake leather cutting operations, which may include procedures such as:- Press cutting;- Splitting;- Gluing;- Trimming;- Hand cutting;- Corrective grain treatments |
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 |
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Duty 4 skive materials (shaving/reducing weight) ready for the next stage of production |
K1 K2 K4 K5 K6 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 |
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Duty 5 prepare materials ready for next stage of production, which may include procedures such as:- Using templates/guides to mark work;- Applying glue or tape in specified places;- Attaching componentry; - Grouping/sorting components together ready for next stage of production |
K1 K2 K4 K5 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 |
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Duty 6 ink / paint raw / cut leathers edge |
K1 K2 K4 K5 K6 K8 K9 K10 K11 K13 K14 |
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Duty 7 hand/machine sew leather components and where applicable assembles the components to produce the finished product |
K1 K2 K4 K5 K6 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 |
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Duty 8 examine finished leather / leather product for quality |
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Duty 9 repair and/or rework leather/leather goods |
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K7 K9 K10 K11 K13 |
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Duty 10 package product and label for onward journey |
K1: How Health and Safety legislation applies to their role including those specific to noise, chemicals, fire, dust, working time regulations, safe processes, manual handling, safety management, hazard identification and risk assessment in the work area
Back to Duty
K2: The impact of processes on the environment, the efficient use of resources, recycling, reuse and the safe disposal of all types of waste (i.e. ISO 14001 Environmental Management)
Back to Duty
K3: Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) regulations, including storage and handling of hides
Back to Duty
K4: Tools, equipment and machinery used with a range of materials for leather production processing such as Moisture content testing meter, Thickness measurement gauge, Trimming knives & shears, Edge tools, Pricking iron, Skiving machine and Bench splitter
Back to Duty
K5: The identification and correction of production problems such as machinery not working correctly and associated corrective actions
Back to Duty
K6: How machinery innovations have improved leather manufacture techniques and processes (i.e. building on heritage skill, rather than replacing)
Back to Duty
K7: The characteristics, properties and behaviours of a variety of materials and components used in leather production and their suitable application (i.e. chemicals used in retannage)
Back to Duty
K8: Leatherworking practices and importance that leather manufacture has on the economy
Back to Duty
K9: The ‘end-to-end’ processes from raw material to finished leathergoods product
Back to Duty
K10: Leather terminology and its use in the workplace
Back to Duty
K11: How to recognise faults in materials and components (i.e. surface scars, flaws, faults and damage in the leather grain surface)
Back to Duty
K12: The heritage of UK leather manufacturing, its products and quality standards associated with their role (i.e. ISO 9001 Quality Management)
Back to Duty
K13: The importance of a cost-effective workflow
Back to Duty
K14: Different manufacturing theories and methods (i.e. lean, JIT and bulking)
Back to Duty
S1: Comply with personal responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and other safety legislation.
Back to Duty
S2: Use equipment in accordance with safe operating procedures and manufacturers’ instructions.
Back to Duty
S3: Dispose safely of waste and surplus materials.
Back to Duty
S4: Identify the correct tools and equipment and use appropriately such as Moisture content testing meter, Thickness measurement gauge, Trimming knives & shears, Edge tools, Pricking iron, Skiving machine and Bench splitter.
Back to Duty
S5: Carry out running maintenance within agreed schedules to ensure the efficiency of machinery, tools and equipment (i.e. settings and preparation of tools) to meet production expectations.
Back to Duty
S6: Read and interpret data from specifications and appropriate work instructions.
Back to Duty
S7: Follow instructions in order to meet customer and company requirements.
Back to Duty
S8: Implement efficient and effective use of materials by closely following instructions and minimizing waste.
Back to Duty
S9: Undertake processes to maintain consistent speed and quality requirements as outlined by the company.
Back to Duty
S10: Communicate effectively with internal/external customers, colleagues and managers and work as part of a team.
Back to Duty
S11: Effectively self-manage their time and work load to meet deadlines.
Back to Duty
B1: Reliability and dependability to consistently deliver expectations in production, quality, work ethics and self-development.
Back to Duty
B2: Accountability, to follow the specified procedures and controls and be personally responsible for their production work and personal development.
Back to Duty
B3: Recognise and appreciate equality and diversity in the workplace.
Back to Duty
B4: A questioning attitude, to understand the processes and associated industrial applications.
Back to Duty
B5: Intervention, to challenge poor practices and channel feedback to the appropriate authorities to implement change.
Back to Duty
English and maths qualifications form a mandatory part of all apprenticeships and must be completed before an apprentice can pass through gateway. The requirements are detailed in the current version of the apprenticeship funding rules.
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This apprenticeship standard will be reviewed after three years
Contact us about this apprenticeship
| Version | Change detail | Earliest start date | Latest start date | Latest end date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Approved for delivery | 14/12/2018 | Not set | Not set |
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