A shortage of skilled workers is slowing down construction work in Scotland. There just aren’t enough people with the right know-how to fill all the current vacancies.
On s1jobs there are openings across the industry and, if you’ve thought about a career change into this sector, now really is the time to do something about it.
Age isn’t a barrier. In fact, life experience can often be an advantage in a business where a strong work ethic and a determination to do the job well can place you ahead of the pack.
One professional who’s made the switch into construction is Lucas Sielacz, a 35-year-old marketing executive from Poland.
Lucas found himself unable to find work when he first moved to Scotland, so he took up an offer of a job on a building site.
He thought this would be temporary while he continued to look for an opening in marketing, but instead a whole new career opened up to him.
“As the only Polish member of my team who spoke English, I spent much of my time in the surveyors’ site office. What they were doing was so interesting I decided to study it myself.”
Lucas spent the next two years studying three days a week at City of Glasgow College while continuing to work on building sites for the remaining four.
He was already familiar with the building where he was studying, having previously worked on its exterior cladding, and despite this heavy workload he still managed to achieve straight As.
Now the married father-of-one has a traineeship with a major construction company and is continuing with his studies.
“The practical experience I gained on the building sites was really useful when I started studying,” he says.
“Coming from a different country and a different education system, I was pleasantly surprised by the support I received from the lecturers. They were really helpful and my time at college was a great experience.
“I also benefited from the scheme that allowed me to follow up my HND by joining the third year of the quantity surveying degree course at Glasgow Caledonian University.”
He may have started out in marketing but Lucas says he has never regretted the move.
“The job is really satisfying and I can point to something like the Silverburn shopping centre and say: ‘I built that!’. That is a great feeling.”
Join Lucas and make the switch with the latest construction vacancies from s1jobs.