SATRA holds first post-pandemic SAFT course in USA

News of the recent SATRA training course organised for footwear technologists.

In a global and competitive marketplace, knowledge of footwear development, manufacturing and sourcing – as well as related skills – are increasingly important. To address this issue, SATRA designed the renowned SATRA Accredited Footwear Technologist (SAFT) training course for all technologists involved in any aspect of the footwear supply chain.

During September and October, SATRA’s footwear team returned to the USA to deliver the largest SAFT course to date. The sessions were held at Ariat International in Union City, California, and were open to all SATRA members. This was the first in-person SAFT event in the US since the COVID-19 pandemic and proved very popular, with 24 delegates attending some of the modules.

The SAFT award is an internationally-recognised qualification and the modules cover seven key areas of footwear manufacture – i) lasts, fitting and comfort, ii) materials, iii) testing, iv) constructions and product design, v) risk assessment and quality assurance, vi) industrial footwear, and vii) production efficiency, costing and specifications.

SATRA’s divisional manager for footwear, Simon Courtney, commented: “While SATRA has increased the number of training courses delivered online, the SAFT course is designed to be delivered in-person and includes hand-on exercises and group activities. The delegates can handle examples of the different footwear constructions covered by the module and experience transferring a three-dimensional shape of a last into a two-dimensional pattern. They also contribute to the group discussions and share their experiences of footwear manufacture.”

An internationally-renowned training course

When the SAFT course was first introduced some 21 years ago, it consisted of five modules. In 2012, this number was increased to six with the addition of ‘Industrial Footwear’. The course was recently updated again in order to modernise the subject matter and provide a more comprehensive and relevant syllabus, with the new content fully rolled out in April 2022.

The new course now consists of the previously-mentioned seven modules, which are each covered in two days. Students can take as many modules as they wish, and have the opportunity to take optional examinations for each module. In order to achieve the complete SAFT award, they must achieve an examination pass in five out of the seven modules, including compulsory core modules 1, 2 and 4.

The photograph above shows sessions being held at Ariat International in California.

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 4 of the November 2022 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

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