There’s nothing like a winter pick-me-up to boost the spirits: a spot of winter sun, that first sip after a dry January or the sheer indulgence of a spa day.
A bit of good news can do the trick too – just like Scotland’s Scottish engineering sector had just before Christmas, when figures showed business has picked up for the first time in two years.
Yes Scottish Engineering’s quarterly review said there had been an improvement in orders, output and staffing in the final quarter of 2016. Bosses are cautiously pleased as this follows seven quarters of negative results.
Describing the results as “significant’’, Scottish Engineering Chief Executive Bryan Buchan said: “Everything is not rosy in the garden yet but we have been hearing some positive stories that people are seeing an uptake in demand for products from their business. They are seeing more positive signs coming through for the future.’’
And anyone looking at s1jobs engineering sector this month is likely to be buoyed up by the healthy numbers of vacancies being advertised in a wide range of specialist areas and covering the whole of Scotland.
Some of these employees will be women, although not as many as Scotland’s engineering sector would like to see. It’s no secret the sector struggles to attract and retain enough female engineers but a project between City of Glasgow College and EQUATE Scotland is hoping to help change that.
Last month they marked the end of the three-year Women in Engineering project looking at gender equality issues within the sector. The result will be a best practice guide aimed at inspiring employers to tackle issues of equality, diversity and inclusion within the workplace – while offering solutions to plugging leaks in the talent pipeline.
Talat Yaqoob, Director of EQUATE Scotland, said: “There’s no shortage of ambition, interest and intellect in women and girls across Scotland, but we must eradicate the barriers that prevent women and girls from entering engineering, not only for the sake of their ambition and intellect but also for the sake of Scotland’s economic growth.
“Scotland needs 120,000 more engineers by 2020; this guide is to support employers to reach that target by increasing the number of women in the growing field.’’
You’d need a crystal ball to predict exactly what the rest of the year will throw at Scotland’s engineering sector but starting off on such a positive note is as uplifting as any spa day – just minus the fluffy white robe.
Treat yourself to a career tonic with all the latest Engineering vacancies at s1jobs.