Overview of the role

Make and repair upholstered furniture.

Details of standard

This standard has options. Display duties and KSBs for:

Occupation summary

This occupation is found in the Furniture, Furnishings and Interiors industry, it can also relate to the automotive and marine industry where they have upholstered items such as seating.  Advanced Upholsterers will specialise in either traditional or modern upholstery and will choose one option.  

The UK furniture, bed and furnishings manufacturing is a substantial growth industry for the UK. Latest verified government figures from 2016 put total consumer expenditure on furniture and furnishings at £16.7 billion, supporting over 327,000 jobs.

The broad purpose of the occupation is to produce upholstered furniture by preparing and cutting fabrics, creating/repairing frames and joints, selecting and applying suspensions and upholstering frames.  An Advanced Upholsterer is a skilled and methodical individual capable of creating ergonomic and comfortable furniture using traditional or modern techniques, materials and fabrics to produce aesthetically pleasing and fit for purpose consumer products.

In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with a range of colleagues including production/manufacturing managers, quality technicians, production leaders, designers and product developers. Advanced Upholsterers will work alone or within small teams with other upholsterers and will be responsible for liaising with colleagues, suppliers and customers. They tend to work in small craft workshops but can also work in larger factories. An employee in this occupation will be responsible for the quality of their work and the relevant resources to carry out their activities.

Advanced Upholsterers may also have managerial responsibility for team members, the level of responsibility varies depending on the size of the organisation that they are working in. Depending on the size of the organisation, they will report to a production manager or a managing director.

Option 1: A Traditional Upholsterer is a skilled craft person who creates individual pieces of new furniture or renovates or re-upholsters old or antique furniture they also reupholster new furniture using traditional methods. Traditional upholsterers use materials like coil springs (post-1850), animal hair (horse, hog and cow), coir, hessian, linen scrim, wadding etc., and is done by hand, building up each layer.

Option 2: An Advanced Modern Upholsterer is a skilled person who understands frame construction, adds padding, springs and coverings to furniture such as chairs and sofas. Advanced Modern Upholsterers understand ergonomics and aesthetics required to apply methodically and accurately a wide range of modern upholstery techniques, materials and fabrics, to produce furniture that meets specification and is fit for purpose.

Typical job titles include:

Automotive upholsterer Development upholsterer Furniture upholsterer Marine upholsterer Traditional upholsterer Upholsterer Upholstery technician

Core occupation duties

Duty Criteria for measuring performance KSBs

Duty 1 Work safely at all times following relevant legislation and regulations ensuring self and others safety

Following relevant health and safety legislation and guidance

K1

S1

B1

Duty 2 Prepare, cut and sew fabric components for upholstery products to specification

Delivered in line with specifications

K2 K3

S2 S3

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6

Duty 3 Evaluate construction of / repair upholstery frames and joints using appropriate tools and equipment

Delivered in line with customer expectations and specifications

K4

S4

B3 B6

Duty 4 Identify any faults in hides of leather and propose solutions so it can be used in upholstery

Delivered in line with specifications

K5

S5

B3 B6

Duty 5 Ensure upholstery products meet industry specific regulations, legislation and standards

Delivered in line with industry specific regulations, legislation and standards

K6

S6

B2 B3 B7

Duty 6 Realise and maintain customers’ expectations when upholstering products

Delivered in line with customer expectations

K7

S7

B2 B3 B7

Duty 7 Manage internal upholstery projects from conception to successful completion. This can include projects such as creating bespoke pieces of furniture and introducing new products and materials.

Delivered in line with agreed timescales and costs

K8

S8

B2 B3 B7

Duty 8 Effectively communicate with colleagues and customers (internal/external)

Communicated clearly and succinctly

K9

S9

Duty 9 Manage upholstery resources effectively to meet budgets

Delivered in line with agreed budgets

K10

S10

B3 B7

Duty 10 Develop furniture product specifications and standard operating procedures for upholstered products

Delivered in line with industry standards

K11 K12 K13

S11

B3 B6

Duty 11 Select and apply suitable upholstery fillings and suspensions using traditional or modern techniques

Delivered in line with agreed timescales and specifications

K14

S12 S13

B1 B3 B6

Option duties

Modern Upholsterer duties

Duty Criteria for measuring performance KSBs

Duty 17 Use modern techniques to upholster products to specifications using power tools and machinery

Delivered in line with agreed timescales and specifications

K21 K22

S20 S21 S22

B2 B5 B6

Duty 18 Design and create modern upholstered furniture to meet customers’ requirements

Delivered in line with agreed timescales and specifications

K23 K24

S23

B1 B2 B5 B6

Duty 19 Define materials, construction methods and specifications for upholstered furniture to be produced

Delivered in line with agreed timescales and specifications

K25 K26

S24 S25

B7

Duty 20 Lead, manage and coach teams to ensure effective results in a modern upholstery environment

Delivered in line with agreed timescales and specifications

K28 K29

S27 S28 S29

B8 B9

Duty 21 Provide estimates for traditionally upholstered furniture to customers to meet their requirements

Delivered in line with industry standards

K27

S26

B1

Traditional Upholsterer duties

Duty Criteria for measuring performance KSBs

Duty 12 Manufacture to traditional standard, renovate and reupholster old or antique furniture to the required standard

Delivered in line with agreed timescales and specifications

K15

S14

B2 B5 B6

Duty 13 Apply traditional upholstery techniques in order to create, renovate or restore furniture pieces

Delivered in line with agreed timescales and specifications

K16 K17

S15 S16

B2 B5 B6

Duty 14 Strip back old/antique upholstery in order to start the restoration/repair

Delivered in line with agreed timescales and specifications

K18

S17

B2 B5 B6

Duty 15 Provide estimates for traditionally upholstered furniture to customers to meet their requirements

Delivered in line with customers expectations

K19

S18

B1

Duty 16 Understand and appreciate the finish of show wood frames and implement traditional solutions, for example French polishing

Delivered in line with agreed timescales and specifications

K20

S19

B2 B5 B6


KSBs

Knowledge

K1: Health, safety and environmental management and risk assessment for example Control Of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH), Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER), Health And Safety At Work Act (HASAWA), Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) and manual handling Back to Duty

K2: Fabric characteristics, identification and appropriate usage of fabrics Back to Duty

K3: How to create templates, lay, cut, prepare and sew fabric components Back to Duty

K4: Upholstery frame construction and repair techniques for example jointing, gluing and replacing components Back to Duty

K5: Leather faults and how to mark and resolve for example scuffs, scratches, stains, burn marks, water marks and discolouration in leather Back to Duty

K6: Upholstery industry specific regulations, legislation and standards, covering flammability regulations, British Standards, CE Marks (Conformité Européenne), Intellectual Property and renewable practices Back to Duty

K7: How to realise and manage customer expectations for example statutory rights and responsibilities, consumer rights, lead times, after sales support Back to Duty

K8: Basic project management including principles and techniques of good project management Back to Duty

K9: Effective communication skills and techniques including verbal, written and physical non-verbal Back to Duty

K10: How to manage upholstery resources effectively to meet budgets for example raw materials Back to Duty

K11: Industry materials including fabrics, springs, fillings, frames, linings, trimmings, legs, feet and castors Back to Duty

K12: Modern and traditional manufacturing methods for example traditional hand techniques and modern machinery techniques Back to Duty

K13: Ergonomic and aesthetic design principles in the upholstery industry Back to Duty

K14: Different types of filling materials and when they should be used for example polyurethane foam, synthetic cotton and feathers Back to Duty

K15: Styles, periods and iconic designers from pre-20th Century, 20th Century including 1930s art deco through to current trends and history of upholstered furniture, materials and methods Back to Duty

K16: Traditional upholstery methods for example hand stitching, tacking and stuffing Back to Duty

K17: How to create, renovate or restore furniture pieces for example re-covering or replacement fillings Back to Duty

K18: How to strip back old/antique upholstery in order to start the restoration/repair Back to Duty

K19: Budgeting, including providing customer estimates and costing projects Back to Duty

K20: How to finish show wood frames for example French polishing Back to Duty

K21: Modern upholstery techniques including the use of power tools and machinery Back to Duty

K22: Modern methods of bespoke furniture production and assembly including stapling, machine sewing Back to Duty

K23: History of upholstered furniture and styles, periods and iconic designers of the 20th & 21st Century Back to Duty

K24: How to design, bespoke pieces of furniture using modern manufacturing methods Back to Duty

K25: Materials, construction methods and product specifications used in modern upholstery, for example boards, springs, spring units, webbing, alternative support systems, fastenings and fabrics Back to Duty

K26: Limitations relating to process and end uses and how to identify these Back to Duty

K27: How to provide estimates to customers and cost projects Back to Duty

K28: Equality and diversity and how this applies in the workplace Back to Duty

K29: Conflict management Back to Duty

Skills

S1: Work safely at all times Back to Duty

S2: Prepare and sew fabric components using advanced methods for example fluting, float, deep-buttoning and other decorative detailing Back to Duty

S3: Create templates, lay and cut fabric components Back to Duty

S4: Evaluate upholstery frames and repair as required Back to Duty

S5: Identify, mark and resolve faults in leather for example scuffs, scratches, stains, burn marks, water marks and discolouration Back to Duty

S6: Quality assure upholstery products to meet relevant industry specific regulations, legislation and standards Back to Duty

S7: Realise and manage customer expectations Back to Duty

S8: Apply basic project management techniques Back to Duty

S9: Apply effective communication techniques at all levels including written and verbal communication skills Back to Duty

S10: Manage upholstery resources effectively to meet budgets including materials, components and time Back to Duty

S11: Define materials, construction methods and product specifications for furniture to be produced Back to Duty

S12: Select and fix different types of filling materials for example natural and manmade fillings Back to Duty

S13: Select and apply materials for suspensions including springs, sprung units, suspension systems and webbing Back to Duty

S14: Upholster products using traditional materials and methods such as using materials like coil springs (post-1850), animal hair (horse, hog and cow), coir, fibres, hessians, linen scrims, wadding by hand, building each layer up Back to Duty

S15: Apply traditional upholstery techniques, for example hand stuffing, hand stitching and tacking in order to renovate/restore furniture pieces Back to Duty

S16: Apply traditional upholstery materials and fabrics for example hessian and linen to repair antique/old furniture Back to Duty

S17: Strip back upholstery to frames using appropriate tools and methods Back to Duty

S18: Provide accurate estimates to customers Back to Duty

S19: Identify the process to finish / repair show wood frames Back to Duty

S20: Upholster products using advanced modern methods for example stapling, machine sewing Back to Duty

S21: Use power tools and machinery to upholster products for example CNC (Computer Numerically Controlled) cutting machinery and staple guns Back to Duty

S22: Produce & assemble bespoke pieces of furniture using modern methods Back to Duty

S23: Design and create bespoke pieces of furniture using modern manufacturing methods Back to Duty

S24: Define manufacturing processes for furniture to be produced Back to Duty

S25: Set timescales and costings for furniture to be produced Back to Duty

S26: Provide accurate estimates to customers Back to Duty

S27: Manage self and others to achieve objectives and lead teams by providing directions, instructions and guidance Back to Duty

S28: Apply coaching, mentoring and team development techniques such as the GROW model (Goal, Current Reality, Options (or Obstacles) Will (or Way Forward) and apply basic conflict management skills including recognising and resolving conflicts Back to Duty

S29: Apply basic conflict management skills including recognising and resolving conflicts Back to Duty

Behaviours

B1: Have a safety-first attitude, ensuring the safety of self and others as appropriate Back to Duty

B2: Is customer focused, demonstrate behaviour that puts the customer first Back to Duty

B3: Commit to achieving and maintaining upholstery quality standards and efficiently rates Back to Duty

B4: Has a calm and reasonable approach when completing upholstery tasks Back to Duty

B5: Approaches each task with enthusiasm and demonstrates a high level of motivation and resilience when facing challenges Back to Duty

B6: Thorough and accurate when accomplishing upholstery tasks Back to Duty

B7: Adheres to company values Back to Duty

B8: Be reflective on skills, knowledge and behaviours and seek opportunities to develop and advance skills in response to the evolving manufacturing environment and technologies Back to Duty

B9: Demonstrate confidence in your ability and enthusiasm as an upholsterer Back to Duty


Qualifications

English and Maths


Additional details

Occupational Level:

3

Duration (months):

24

Review

Status: Approved for delivery (available for starts)
Level: 3
Reference: ST0656
Version: 1.0
Date updated: 30/09/2019
Approved for delivery: 30 September 2019
Route: Engineering and manufacturing
Typical duration to gateway: 24 months (this does not include EPA period)
Maximum funding: £10000
Options: Modern Upholsterer, Traditional Upholsterer
LARS Code: 525
EQA Provider: Ofqual
Employers involved in creating the standard: Harrison Spinks, Association of Master Upholsterers & Soft Furnishers, DFS, Silentnight, Hypnos, Senator, Duresta, GPlan, Duresta, Rolls Royce

Version log

Version Change detail Earliest start date Latest start date
1.0 30/09/2019 Not set

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