India’s leather industry has witnessed incredible transformation over time. From being a supplier of raw materials, it has become one of the leading industries of its type. It provides employment to about 2.5 million people in the county. The leather industry has massive potential for providing more employment. The leather sector is currently offering jobs in several subsectors such as footwear, leather goods, and garments, finished leather, saddler and harness. To know more about the job roles, check out the Qualification Packs (QPs) and National Occupational Standards (NOS) formulated by LSSC.
Here are some major subsectors of the leather sector with many job opportunities:
Finished Leather
This subsector deals with finishing, appearance of the final surface of the leather and the surface properties. This includes colouring, waterproofing, wax dressings, but also mechanical processing stages such as ironing or embossing of the leather. Being a subsector dealing with designing and polishing of leather, it offers many jobs to aspiring youth.
Popular Job Roles
- Buffing Operator
- Finishing Operator
- Helper- Dry and Wet Operation
Skills Required
- Use of machinery
- Proper use of dye and chemicals
- Sewing
Footwear
India is the second-largest footwear producer after China. Thus, the footwear subsector has vast job opportunities. This subsector deals with the designing, manufacturing, and finishing of footwear.
Popular Job Roles
- CAD/CAM Operator
- Quality Control Supervisor
- Helper- Upper and Bottom Making
Skills Required
- Knowledge of footwear making process
- Good hand and eye coordination
- Eye for detail
- Computer skills
- machinery secondary level of math
- Knowledge and skill to use the CAD/CAM software
Leather Goods and Garments
This subsector deals with the production of leather goods and garments. Leather goods and garments are in demand which makes this subsector one of the largest job creators. This subsector works on designing, manufacturing, and finishing of garments and leather goods.
Popular Job Roles
- Cutter
- Goods and Garments- Quality Control Inspector
- Sewing Machine Operator
Skills Required
- Ability to choose the correct leather and non-leather parts
- Judgment in positioning and cutting
- Basic estimation and numerical skills
- Good hand and eye coordination
Saddlery and Harness
This subsector mainly deals with cutting, assembling various saddleries and harness components to produce lather harness. Saddle and harness making is a specialized process to deal with the manufacturing, cutting and assembling of various parts.
Popular Job Roles
- Saddlery -Harness Maker
- Saddle Quality Control Inspector
- Helper- Finishing Process and Part Making
Skills Required
- Concentration
- Monitoring ability
- Vision
- Quick response time and reflex
- Good eye and hand coordination
- Basic estimation and numerical skills
The leather sector has many job opportunities that anyone can avail regardless of the educational qualifications. The leather industry is extensively skill-based and for a person to work in this industry, he/she must have the required skills. If you have the required skills, you will find jobs matching your technical and soft skills in this sector.
