Overview of the role

Producing or manufacturing leather goods for a number of markets.

Details of standard

Occupation summary

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:

  • The production of leather (processing and finishing);
  • Quality check materials and components for faults;
  • Leather cutting operations;
  • Skive materials (shaving/reducing weight) ready for next stage of production;
  • Prepare materials ready for next stage of production;
  • Ink / paint raw / cut leathers edge;
  • Hand / Machine sew leather components and where applicable assembles the components to produce the finished product;
  • Examine finished leather / leather product for quality;
  • Repair and/or rework leather/leather goods;
  • Package product and label for onward journey.

 

Occupational Brief

The Trailblazer Group have prepared a recommended occupational brief for this apprenticeship standard.

Typical job titles include:

Leather craftperson Sustainable leather craftperson Green leaf

Occupation duties

Duty KSBs

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

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5

Duty 2 quality check materials and components for faults

K1 K2 K3 K4 K10 K11

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5

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

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S9 S10 S11

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5

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

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S9 S10 S11

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5

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

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S9 S10 S11

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5

Duty 6 ink / paint raw / cut leathers edge

K1 K2 K4 K5 K6 K8 K9 K10 K11 K13 K14

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S9 S10 S11

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5

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

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S9 S10 S11

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5

Duty 8 examine finished leather / leather product for quality

K1 K2 K3 K4 K9 K10 K11 K13

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5

Duty 9 repair and/or rework leather/leather goods

K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K7 K9 K10 K11 K13

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5

Duty 10 package product and label for onward journey

K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K10 K13

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5


KSBs

Knowledge

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

Skills

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

Behaviours

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


Qualifications

English and Maths


Additional details

Occupational Level:

2

Duration (months):

15

Review

Status: Approved for delivery (available for starts)
Level: 2
Reference: ST0460
Version: 1.0
Date updated: 07/03/2023
Approved for delivery: 14 December 2018
Route: Creative and design
Typical duration to gateway: 15 months (this does not include EPA period)
Maximum funding: £5000
LARS Code: 393
EQA Provider: Ofqual
Employers involved in creating the standard: Mulberry, Pittards PLC, Cirencester Saddlers, The Saddlers Den, Ideal Saddle Company, Frank Baines Saddlery Ltd, Charles F Stead & Co Ltd, The Clayton Leather Group, Joseph Clayton & Sons (Chesterfield) Ltd, J&E Sedgwick & Co Ltd, Owen Barry Ltd, Amandian Ltd, Royal Opera House, Thomas Ware & Sons Ltd, Hutchings & Harding Ltd, Blenkinsop Leathers Ltd, Globetrotter, Cambridge Satchel Company, Price Western Leather Company Ltd, Leather Satchel Co

Version log

Version Change detail Earliest start date Latest start date
1.0 Approved for delivery 14/12/2018 Not set

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