Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Brush materials made of suede, leather, or felt to remove spots or to raise and smooth naps.
• Examine and measure finished articles to verify conformance to standards, using measuring devices such as tape measures and micrometers.
• Finish velvet garments by steaming them on bucks of hot-head presses or steam tables, and brushing pile (nap) with handbrushes.
• Spray water over fabric to soften fibers when not using steam irons.
• Lower irons, rams, or pressing heads of machines into position over material to be pressed.
• Select appropriate pressing machines, based on garment properties such as heat tolerance.
• Finish pleated garments, determining sizes of pleats from evidence of old pleats or from work orders, using machine presses or hand irons.
• Slide material back and forth over heated, metal, ball-shaped forms to smooth and press portions of garments that cannot be satisfactorily pressed with flat pressers or hand irons.
• Finish pants, jackets, shirts, skirts and other dry-cleaned and laundered articles, using hand irons.
• Measure fabric to specifications, cut uneven edges with shears, fold material, and press it with an iron to form a heading.
• Select, install, and adjust machine components, including pressing forms, rollers, and guides, using hoists and hand tools.
• Block or shape knitted garments after cleaning.
• Examine and measure finished articles to verify conformance to standards, using measuring devices such as tape measures and micrometers.
• Sew ends of new material to leaders or to ends of material in pressing machines, using sewing machines.
• Position materials such as cloth garments, felt, or straw on tables, dies, or feeding mechanisms of pressing machines, or on ironing boards or work tables.
• Use covering cloths to prevent equipment from damaging delicate fabrics.
• Activate and adjust machine controls to regulate temperature and pressure of rollers, ironing shoes, or plates, according to specifications.
• Remove finished pieces from pressing machines and hang or stack them for cooling, or forward them for additional processing.
• Push and pull irons over surfaces of articles to smooth or shape them.
• Operate steam, hydraulic, or other pressing machines to remove wrinkles from garments and flatwork items, or to shape, form, or patch articles.
• Finish fancy garments such as evening gowns and costumes, using hand irons to produce high quality finishes.
• Hang, fold, package, and tag finished articles for delivery to customers.
• Measure fabric to specifications, cut uneven edges with shears, fold material, and press it with an iron to form a heading.
• Moisten materials to soften and smooth them.
• Measure fabric to specifications, cut uneven edges with shears, fold material, and press it with an iron to form a heading.
• Insert heated metal forms into ties and touch up rough places with hand irons.
• Position materials such as cloth garments, felt, or straw on tables, dies, or feeding mechanisms of pressing machines, or on ironing boards or work tables.
• Clean and maintain pressing machines, using cleaning solutions and lubricants.
• Remove finished pieces from pressing machines and hang or stack them for cooling, or forward them for additional processing.
• Hang, fold, package, and tag finished articles for delivery to customers.
• Shrink, stretch, or block articles by hand to conform to original measurements, using forms, blocks, and steam.
• Straighten, smooth, or shape materials to prepare them for pressing.
• Identify and treat spots on garments.
• Select, install, and adjust machine components, including pressing forms, rollers, and guides, using hoists and hand tools.
• Press ties on small pressing machines.
• Clean and maintain pressing machines, using cleaning solutions and lubricants.

Skills

• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.
• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.
• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.
• Speaking
  • Talking to others.

Abilities

• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.
• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

Knowledge

• Sales and Marketing
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Administration and Management
  • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Administrative
  • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Education and Training
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Personnel and Human Resources
  • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• Therapy and Counseling
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Geography
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Engineering and Technology
  • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
• Chemistry
  • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Philosophy and Theology
  • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Public Safety and Security
  • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• Physics
  • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
• Communications and Media
  • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Building and Construction
  • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Foreign Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

Education

Education

No formal educational credential

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

Less than 1 month on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

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Education and Training Opportunities

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Pay

Washington Annual Salary

38260/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

18.39/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

590

Yearly Projected Openings

90

Personality

Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:

• Attention to Detail
• Dependability

Tools

• Adjustable wrenches
• Clothing hangers
• Domestic clothing irons
• Garment brushes
• Hammers
• Hand sprayers
• Hoists
• Ironing boards
• Ironing machines or presses
• Laundry type combined washing or drying machines
• Micrometers
• Personal computers
• Rulers
• Screwdrivers
• Sewing machines
• Shears
• Slip joint pliers
• Steam pressing machines
• Straight edges
• Tape measures

Technology

• Electronic mail software
• Spreadsheet software
• Word processing software