Network education partner Morrison Construction explains why we should consider one of the many employment opportunities available in its industry.

Buildings are everywhere, all around us, and the construction industry makes this happen. As the construction industry in Scotland gears up to deliver more homes, schools, offices and infrastructure, it needs more than ever to inspire the most talented people to meet these challenges - our future workforce.

It is an exciting industry where you have the opportunity to be involved with many different projects using your skills to really make things happen.  

But… how do I get there?

There are many different routes into the industry such as apprenticeships, graduate employment, technical jobs, management and professional appointments, but knowing where to start will help you to map out your future career path in this busy and ever evolving industry.

Making the most of your education will help you to progress on to further or higher education or maybe support you into direct employment through an apprenticeship or as a trainee.  skills, knowledge and qualifications are gained through your education, but it doesn't stop there!  You can continue to learn and develop throughout your career.  The subjects you choose to study at school will be your first step on to this exciting career path.

Subjects that interest and motivate you will support your development, for example, if you enjoy hands on and creative subjects such as art and craft & design you may have a natural flare for architecture and design, or maybe you will excel in one of the many crafts; joinery, plumbing, bricklaying and do well as an apprentice - learning the trades and putting your skills to good use during a construction project.  Or maybe you enjoy maths and science based subjects and could be a budding engineer.

Construction businesses are really interested in supporting young people at school and college as these individuals are the future of the industry.  At Morrison Construction, we think this is very important and regularly engage with schools to talk about the industry, provide mentoring and input to careers lessons as well as providing qualification-based programmes, site visits and work experience opportunities - these are great ways to experience many different parts of the industry and get a feel for the different challenges that face us on a day to day basis.

Morrison Construction is a leading provider of construction and infrastructure services.  Part of the Galliford Try group, and with an award-winning portfolio, Morrison Construction undertakes a range of activities from the construction of multi-million pound building and civil engineering projects to small works and repairs and maintenance. 

Morrison Construction is one of the top providers of best-value design, engineering and construction services to the water sector and is engaged on major framework agreements and one-off projects throughout Scotland. In addition, Morrison Construction is a leading contractor on infrastructure projects for the public, regulated and private sectors in Scotland.  At Morrison Construction, we harness our Group's strengths in PPP Investments to play a leading role in the Public Private Partnerships (PPP) procurement route, using a broad range of project management and financial skills.  Our Facilities Management division, Galliford Try Facilities Management (GTFM), delivers and manages a comprehensive range of facilities management, maintenance and support services for organisations with the public and private sectors. 

We believe that we have key responsibilities in relation to construction careers guidance for young people, having a role to play in supporting pupils to make well informed and realistic decisions by providing access to impartial and independent information and guidance about the range of education and training options that are most likely to help young people achieve their ambitions within the construction industry.  

Morrison Construction would like to support access to information and advice from an earlier age, enabling better informed decisions at a younger age.  With established community links throughout Scotland, Morrison Construction will engage with local schools to provide work-based education offering young people insights into the world of work, and with local colleges and universities for first-hand experience of further and higher education.  We want to ensure that young people are aware of the full range of academic and vocational options, including apprenticeships, within our industry.

People are our most valuable asset and our employees care about the future of our industry and realise the importance of engaging with young people. Our goal is to look beyond education and support the development and growth of a skilled work force over the longer term. We are making excellent progress and look forward to continuous engagement with the young people that live where we work.

To read more on career ideas for parents and children, read our supplement by clicking here.