Most 'brand-name' footwear is produced overseas. Larger footwear makers in Australia generally import components and assemble them here, concentrating on developing products that appeal to Australian lifestyles. However there are a few smaller Australian footwear companies that specialise in making custom shoes or shoes for niche markets like ballet shoes, golf shoes, riding boots, ugg boots, ice skating boots and therapeutic and industrial footwear.

In such companies, there are opportunities for Footwear Makers, Machinists, Finishers, Pattern Makers, Clickers and Tableworkers. There is also a growing market for medical grade footwear and orthopaedic shoes, and an increasing demand for skilled footwear repairers.

In Footwear Production, you would design and make footwear patterns, and cut pieces of leather from patterns to form the upper parts of a shoe using a clicking press. You will also learn about the characteristics of leather, footwear adhesives and chemicals, cutting and machining.

If shoes are your thing, you might like to check out the options with some of the smaller companies and go from there.