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Skilled Trades

Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders

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

Median salary (BLS)

$35,650

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$27k – $48k

Job outlook

No separate BLS projection for this specific role

AI exposure

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Education

Typical entry: No degree required

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How to qualify

EstimateLicense required

Cost to qualify

$100–$2,600

Time to qualify

3.1 yr

Renewal

$50/yr

  1. 1

    Registered apprenticeship (paid)

    Experience

    Earn-while-you-learn training — apprentices are paid during the program; fees are tools/books, not tuition.

    $0–$2,000 · 36 months · varies by state source

  2. 2

    Journeyman exam & state/local license

    License

    Most states and municipalities test and license journeyman-level trades workers.

    $100–$600 · 1 months · varies by state · renews every 2 yr source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Junior Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders

    Entry / Junior

    $26,560

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders

    Established

    $35,650

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders

    Senior

    $41,675

Key skills

A typical day

  • •Inspect finished products to ensure that shoes have been completed according to specifications.
  • •Align parts to be stitched, following seams, edges, or markings, before positioning them under needles.
  • •Operate or tend machines to join, decorate, reinforce, or finish shoes and shoe parts.
  • •Remove and examine shoes, shoe parts, and designs to verify conformance to specifications such as proper embedding of stitches in channels.
  • •Switch on machines, lower pressure feet or rollers to secure parts, and start machine stitching, using hand, foot, or knee controls.

Fields of study

Any field

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