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51-6041.00 · Task explorer

Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers: reported tasks and exploration worksheet

Construct, decorate, or repair leather and leather-like products, such as luggage, shoes, and saddles. May use hand tools.

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This source lists 26 tasks, including 7 marked Core and 19 marked Supplemental. Labels and dates are retained below. Employers can combine or divide these responsibilities differently; explore the task itself before assuming it belongs in every version of the role.

Task source dates: 08/2022.

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26 tasks shown

Core · Task 14065 · 08/2022 · Incumbent

Dye, soak, polish, paint, stamp, stitch, stain, buff, or engrave leather or other materials to obtain desired effects, decorations, or shapes.

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Core · Task 14062 · 08/2022 · Incumbent

Cut out parts, following patterns or outlines, using knives, shears, scissors, or machine presses.

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Core · Task 14063 · 08/2022 · Incumbent

Construct, decorate, or repair leather products according to specifications, using sewing machines, needles and thread, leather lacing, glue, clamps, hand tools, or rivets.

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Core · Task 14074 · 08/2022 · Incumbent

Repair and recondition leather products such as trunks, luggage, shoes, saddles, belts, purses, and baseball gloves.

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Core · Task 14064 · 08/2022 · Incumbent

Align and stitch or glue materials such as fabric, fleece, leather, or wood, to join parts.

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Core · Task 14079 · 08/2022 · Incumbent

Inspect articles for defects, and remove damaged or worn parts, using hand tools.

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Core · Task 14080 · 08/2022 · Incumbent

Drill or punch holes and insert or attach metal rings, handles, and fastening hardware, such as buckles.

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Supplemental · Task 14087 · 08/2022 · Incumbent

Prepare inserts, heel pads, and lifts from casts of customers' feet.

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Supplemental · Task 14067 · 08/2022 · Incumbent

Dress and otherwise finish boots or shoes, as by trimming the edges of new soles and heels to the shoe shape.

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Supplemental · Task 14069 · 08/2022 · Incumbent

Attach insoles to shoe lasts, affix shoe uppers, and apply heels and outsoles.

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My example, evidence or question

Supplemental · Task 14076 · 08/2022 · Incumbent

Clean and polish shoes.

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Supplemental · Task 14070 · 08/2022 · Incumbent

Cement, nail, or sew soles and heels to shoes.

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Supplemental · Task 14077 · 08/2022 · Incumbent

Check the texture, color, and strength of leather to ensure that it is adequate for a particular purpose.

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Supplemental · Task 14071 · 08/2022 · Incumbent

Shape shoe heels with a knife, and sand them on a buffing wheel for smoothness.

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Supplemental · Task 14075 · 08/2022 · Incumbent

Place shoes on lasts to remove soles and heels, using knives or pliers.

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Supplemental · Task 14072 · 08/2022 · Incumbent

Repair or replace soles, heels, and other parts of footwear, using sewing, buffing and other shoe repair machines, materials, and equipment.

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Supplemental · Task 14082 · 08/2022 · Incumbent

Cut, insert, position, and secure paddings, cushioning, or linings, using stitches or glue.

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Supplemental · Task 14068 · 08/2022 · Incumbent

Estimate the costs of requested products or services such as custom footwear or footwear repair, and receive payment from customers.

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Supplemental · Task 14083 · 08/2022 · Incumbent

Draw patterns, using measurements, designs, plaster casts, or customer specifications, and position or outline patterns on work pieces.

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Supplemental · Task 14086 · 08/2022 · Incumbent

Nail heel and toe cleats onto shoes.

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Supplemental · Task 14088 · 08/2022 · Incumbent

Re-sew seams, and replace handles and linings of suitcases or handbags.

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Supplemental · Task 14085 · 08/2022 · Incumbent

Stretch shoes, dampening parts and inserting and twisting parts, using an adjustable stretcher.

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Supplemental · Task 14078 · 08/2022 · Incumbent

Read prescriptions or specifications, and take measurements to establish the type of product to be made, using calipers, tape measures, or rules.

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Supplemental · Task 14081 · 08/2022 · Incumbent

Attach accessories or ornamentation to decorate or protect products.

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Supplemental · Task 14073 · 08/2022 · Incumbent

Make, modify, and repair orthopedic or therapeutic footwear according to doctors' prescriptions, or modify existing footwear for people with foot problems and special needs.

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Supplemental · Task 14066 · 08/2022 · Incumbent

Select materials and patterns, and trace patterns onto materials to be cut out.

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Make the shortlist useful

Choose one to three activities that tell you something different about the work. Avoid selecting several ways of describing the same interest.
For each, write an example you can discuss or a question that would change your understanding of the role.
Keep source task IDs with your notes so you can return to the same description. Do not include private employer or customer information.

The exported worksheet distinguishes the reported task from your own notes. It supports exploration, not a hiring decision or a validated assessment.

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Source and practice material

Occupational context uses the O*NET® 31.0 Database from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, under CC BY 4.0. View the occupation.

Skill Workbench selected and adapted the occupational information and added its own fictional cases, calculations, guidance and worksheets. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these additions. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.