Construction Scotland has unveiled a four-year plan to boost the sector’s contribution to the economy.
The initiative – which focuses on sustainability, productivity, innovation and profitability – points out the industry already contributes £21.5 billion to our GDP and 10 per cent of Scotland’s gross value added.
It also employs 10 per cent of the workforce – that’s 170,000 people and 60,000 self-employed workers.
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If you want to become part of this vibrant and important sector there’s a much greater variety of roles on offer on s1jobs than you might think . . . and like the best chocolates in the box, it pays to get first pick.
Smarties
The brains behind every new building or structural project are architects. They are the artists who can turn a blank canvas into the complex drawings that form the basis of wonderful creations.
While architects work on imagining and designing the structure, architectural technologists make sure all of the technical aspects actually stack up.
Boost
Mechanical and electrical engineers are the driving force behind the electrical, energy, heating, cooling and water systems in new buildings.
This can mean helping the architect in the design phase or simply making sure the systems are fitted and working correctly.
Quality Street
When it comes to analysing a building’s condition and reporting the findings in a reader-friendly way, the go-to people are building surveyors.
Not only do they provide technical guidance but they can spot any major faults, such as damp or subsidence, and estimate what the repairs would cost.
Crunchie
With a similar mission to building surveyors, quantity surveyors are skilled at crunching numbers – working out how much a new project might cost to build, in theory, and how much the build is actually costing everyone in reality.
Their attention to detail is vital to determine whether a project gets off the architect’s drawings and moves to the building stage.
Celebrations
A site manager – aka head honcho, number one or the gaffer – exists to make sure everyone else is getting on with their jobs.
This involves organising a huge mix of trades, including joinery, bricklaying, plumbing, scaffolding and roofing.
When the build is finished on time, on budget and to the highest standard, it’s time for celebrations all round.
Fancy dipping into the world’s best jobs selection box? Take your pick of the latest Construction/Trades vacancies on s1jobs.