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Date: 07/03/2025

Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders

Operate or tend a variety of machines to join, decorate, reinforce, or finish shoes and shoe parts.

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    Work Activities

    Work Activities

    • Perform routine equipment maintenance such as cleaning and lubricating machines or replacing broken needles.
    • Draw thread through machine guide slots, needles, and presser feet in preparation for stitching, or load rolls of wire through machine axles.
    • Staple sides of shoes, pressing a foot treadle to position and hold each shoe under the feeder of the machine.
    • Select and place spools of thread or pre-wound bobbins into shuttles, or onto spindles or loupers of stitching machines.
    • Align parts to be stitched, following seams, edges, or markings, before positioning them under needles.
    • Perform routine equipment maintenance such as cleaning and lubricating machines or replacing broken needles.
    • Draw thread through machine guide slots, needles, and presser feet in preparation for stitching, or load rolls of wire through machine axles.
    • Test machinery to ensure proper functioning before beginning production.
    • Hammer loose staples for proper attachment.
    • Operate or tend machines to join, decorate, reinforce, or finish shoes and shoe parts.
    • Inspect finished products to ensure that shoes have been completed according to specifications.
    • Collect shoe parts from conveyer belts or racks and place them in machinery such as ovens or on molds for dressing, returning them to conveyers or racks to send them to the next work station.
    • Remove and examine shoes, shoe parts, and designs to verify conformance to specifications such as proper embedding of stitches in channels.
    • Fill shuttle spools with thread from a machine's bobbin winder by pressing a foot treadle.
    • Position dies on material in a manner that will obtain the maximum number of parts from each portion of material.
    • Perform routine equipment maintenance such as cleaning and lubricating machines or replacing broken needles.
    • Inspect finished products to ensure that shoes have been completed according to specifications.
    • Study work orders or shoe part tags to obtain information about workloads, specifications, and the types of materials to be used.
    • Select and place spools of thread or pre-wound bobbins into shuttles, or onto spindles or loupers of stitching machines.
    • Turn setscrews on needle bars, and position required numbers of needles in stitching machines.
    • Switch on machines, lower pressure feet or rollers to secure parts, and start machine stitching, using hand, foot, or knee controls.
    • Cut excess thread or material from shoe parts, using scissors or knives.
    • Turn knobs to adjust stitch length and thread tension.

    Skills

    • Reading Comprehension

      Reading work-related information.

    • Learning Strategies

      Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

    • Complex Problem Solving

      Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

    • Coordination

      Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

    • Persuasion

      Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

    • Instructing

      Teaching people how to do something.

    • Judgment and Decision Making

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

    • Active Listening

      Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

    • Installation

      Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

    • Active Learning

      Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    • Negotiation

      Bringing people together to solve differences.

    • Operations Analysis

      Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.

    • Social Perceptiveness

      Understanding people's reactions.

    • Systems Analysis

      Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

    • Repairing

      Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    • Science

      Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    • Quality Control Analysis

      Testing how well a product or service works.

    • Monitoring

      Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

    • Writing

      Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    • Speaking

      Talking to others.

    • Critical Thinking

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

    • Technology Design

      Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    • Equipment Maintenance

      Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    • Programming

      Writing computer programs.

    • Operations Monitoring

      Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

    • Equipment Selection

      Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

    • Time Management

      Managing your time and the time of other people.

    • Mathematics

      Using math to solve problems.

    • Service Orientation

      Looking for ways to help people.

    • Management of Material Resources

      Managing equipment and materials.

    • Management of Personnel Resources

      Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    • Operation and Control

      Using equipment or systems.

    • Troubleshooting

      Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

    • Management of Financial Resources

      Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    • Systems Evaluation

      Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

    WorkKeys®

    Applied Math
    3
    Workplace Documents
    3
    Graphic Literacy
    4

    Abilities

    • Speed of Limb Movement

      Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    • Memorization

      Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

    • Auditory Attention

      Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

    • Speech Recognition

      Recognizing spoken words.

    • Mathematical Reasoning

      Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

    • Spatial Orientation

      Knowing where things are around you.

    • Visual Color Discrimination

      Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

    • Night Vision

      Seeing at night or under low light.

    • Finger Dexterity

      Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    • Sound Localization

      Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

      Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    • Selective Attention

      Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    • Oral Expression

      Communicating by speaking.

    • Fluency of Ideas

      Coming up with lots of ideas.

    • Far Vision

      Seeing details that are far away.

    • Extent Flexibility

      Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Glare Sensitivity

      Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

    • Visualization

      Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

    • Stamina

      Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

    • Written Comprehension

      Reading and understanding what is written.

    • Perceptual Speed

      Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

    • Static Strength

      Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    • Explosive Strength

      Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

    • Hearing Sensitivity

      Telling the difference between sounds.

    • Wrist-Finger Speed

      Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.

    • Gross Body Coordination

      Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

    • Speed of Closure

      Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    • Manual Dexterity

      Holding or moving items with your hands.

    • Dynamic Strength

      Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    • Time Sharing

      Doing two or more things at the same time.

    • Problem Sensitivity

      Noticing when problems happen.

    • Written Expression

      Communicating by writing.

    • Trunk Strength

      Using your lower back and stomach.

    • Peripheral Vision

      Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    • Control Precision

      Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

    • Oral Comprehension

      Listening and understanding what people say.

    • Category Flexibility

      Grouping things in different ways.

    • Depth Perception

      Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

    • Multilimb Coordination

      Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.

    • Originality

      Creating new and original ideas.

    • Deductive Reasoning

      Using rules to solve problems.

    • Near Vision

      Seeing details up close.

    • Dynamic Flexibility

      Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Response Orientation

      Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

    • Speech Clarity

      Speaking clearly.

    • Rate Control

      Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

    • Reaction Time

      Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.

    • Number Facility

      Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

    • Inductive Reasoning

      Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.

    • Information Ordering

      Ordering or arranging things.

    • Gross Body Equilibrium

      Keeping your balance or staying upright.

    • Flexibility of Closure

      Seeing hidden patterns.

    Knowledge

    • Chemistry

      Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

    • Administration and Management

      Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

    • Foreign Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

    • Sociology and Anthropology

      Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

    • Food Production

      Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

    • Administrative

      Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

    • Communications and Media

      Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

    • Biology

      Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

    • Geography

      Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

    • Therapy and Counseling

      Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

    • Transportation

      Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    • Public Safety and Security

      Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

    • Education and Training

      Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    • Mathematics

      Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

    • Medicine and Dentistry

      Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

    • Economics and Accounting

      Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    • Fine Arts

      Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

    • Customer and Personal Service

      Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

    • Design

      Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

    • Psychology

      Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

    • Computers and Electronics

      Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

    • Telecommunications

      Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

    • English Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

    • Personnel and Human Resources

      Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

    • Mechanical

      Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

    • Engineering and Technology

      Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

    • Production and Processing

      Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

    • Philosophy and Theology

      Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    • Law and Government

      Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    • Physics

      Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

    • Sales and Marketing

      Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

    • Building and Construction

      Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

    • History and Archeology

      Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

    Career Video

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    Pay

    • US Annual Salary 36970/yr
    • US Typical Salary
    • US Hourly Wage 17.78/hr
    • US Typical Hourly Wage

    Ohio Employment Trends

    • Currently Employed 10
    • Yearly Projected Openings 0

    Typical Education

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.They do well at jobs that need:
    • Dependability
    • Attention to Detail
    • Cooperation
    • Self Control
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Adaptability/Flexibility

    Tools

    • Adjustable wrenches
    • Blade sharpener
    • Claw hammer
    • Conveyor system
    • Finishing machines
    • Leather nailing machines
    • Leather presses
    • Power sanders
    • Punches or nail sets or drifts
    • Screwdrivers
    • Sewing machines
    • Sewing needles
    • Shears
    • Shoe heelpiece machine
    • Shoe shining machine
    • Shoe stretcher
    • Staple guns
    • Utility knives
    • Vacuum molding machines
    • Winding or reeling or spooling machines

    Technology

    • Document management software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Industrial control software
    • Inventory management software
    • Office suite software
    • Operating system software
    • Presentation software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software
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