Shoemaking for Designers

Finding the right shoemaking course for YOU is challenging. Attending an in-person footwear course may not be possible if you are a working professional or a student living at home. Also, the cost of in-person footwear training programs may be prohibitively expensive.

Check Out Online and On Demand Courses
Online footwear courses are a great option. Search online for Shoemaking Courses, and you will find many online shoe school options.

There are many free online shoemaking course options available. YouTube.com is an excellent source for shoemaking content; just be careful that you are watching a professional shoemaker. Whether you are interested in DIY home shoemaking for beginners, or advanced footwear business courses, you can easily find online programs.

Top 7 Points to Look for in Online Shoe School:

1. Is the footwear course offered by a reputable company, school, or academy?
Make sure the course offerings and prices are clear, without hidden extras.

2. Does the course provider offer you footwear class options?
You want to find courses that suit your shoemaking interest and are not a one size fits all program.
The course requirements for a shoe designer are very different from that of a shoe developer or a footwear product manager.

3. Is the footwear course instructor qualified to teach the offered courses?
Search online to see what you can find out about the instructors. For example, is the instructor a working professional or a published author in the field of footwear? It’s a good idea to search on LinkedIn.

4. Does the online course provider list the required textbooks?
If so, are the costs for the textbooks included in the cost of the course? If the course requires other materials, check the price and availability beforehand. Some shoemaking tools and components, such as shoe lasts, can be expensive and hard to find.

5. Is customer service responsive and available if you have questions or issues?
Is the course instructor available for coaching or questions?
Should any questions or issues arise, you want to know someone is available to help you. Also, if you have questions related to YOUR specific project, are you able to speak with the instructor to solve your challenges? Do they offer private consulting sessions?

6. Do you know what you are buying? Is there a guarantee?
It’s important to know the full curriculum for the courses you purchase and how the courses will look and work on your computer. Also, if you are unhappy with the online course, is there any guarantee from the online shoe school? Most reputable programs will want to stand behind their offerings. Don’t be afraid to ask for a limited-time money-back guarantee.

7. Do you understand when the course is offered?
Is the footwear training course a live shoemaking event, a one-time webinar, or an on-demand series of lessons you can complete on your schedule and at your own pace? Look for an online shoe design course that allows unlimited access to lessons for at least a year. Also, you should be able to skip around the various lessons with ease to facilitate your personal needs.