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My World of Work

What impact could you make?

Use creative and problem-solving skills to change the world for the better.
Respond to natural disasters, improve cyber security and develop clean energy sources.  
Design driverless vehicles and spacecraft for future tourists – perhaps going on missions to other planets.
The potential for an engineer is massive. You can take it wherever you want to go.AndyHead of Tech Development and Digitalisation, Booth Welsh

Engineering and manufacturing at a glance

There are lots of exciting opportunities, from aerospace and pharmaceuticals to food and fast-moving consumer goods production. It’s a global industry, so an engineering and manufacturing career can take you all across the world.

Employment

As of October 2025, there are around 118,300 people working in engineering across Scotland. 

Future demand

Between 2025 and 2028, it's expected there will be 5,800 people needed to fill job openings in Scotland.

Job diversity

There are engineering opportunities across all of Scotland. In 2025, the areas with the biggest proportion of engineers were Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen City, South Ayrshire and Angus.

Source: Engineering Sectoral Skills Assessment 2025
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Career insights from industry professionals

 

1:29

Aerospace engineer

 

1:44

Electrical engineer

 

1:05

Wastewater engineer

 

1:51

Water treatment technician

 

0:47

Civil engineer

 

1:07

Solar design engineer

 

1:06

Naval architect

Design the future

We’ve pulled out some of the most popular engineering job profiles for you to explore.

Things you may not know about engineering and manufacturing

Glasgow builds more satellites than anywhere else in Europe.

Source: Scottish Development International

Our engineers are world leaders in harnessing wave and tidal power as an alternative energy resource.

Source: Scottish Government

Scottish spaceport SaxaVord in Shetland is the first fully-licensed vertical launch Spaceport in Europe.

Source: SaxaVord

What subjects you could take in school

We've pulled together some examples of subjects and Foundation Apprenticeships (FAs) that could be useful for getting into an engineering and manufacturing career.

English

Engineering FA

Maths

Computing

Design and Manufacture

Science

Physics

Design

Civil Engineering FA

Leaders in engineering and manufacturing

Discover some of the organisations within Scottish engineering and manufacturing and how they’re making an impact on the industry.

Scottish Engineering logo

Scottish Engineering

Scottish Engineering connects businesses and individuals to the resources they need to meet their goals.

Visit Scottish Engineering
Aerospace, Defence, Security and Space Scotland logo

Aerospace, Defence, Security and Space Scotland

Aerospace, Defence, Security and Space Scotland (ADS) represents and supports more than 1,100 engineering-based businesses.

Visit ADS
Space Scotland logo

Space Scotland

Find out all the latest news within Scotland's ever-growing space industry.

Visit Space Scotland