Engineering and manufacturing

Engineers are creative and hands on. They design, create, test and improve all sorts of products and processes. From buildings in your local community to railways and aircrafts – bring creations to life as an engineer.

The impact you could make

Solving the world’s upcoming problems using creative and problem solving skills.
Responding to natural disasters, improving cyber security and developing clean energy sources.
Designing driverless vehicles and spacecrafts for future tourists.

The opportunities within engineering and manufacturing

There are many diverse opportunities from aerospace and pharmaceuticals to food and fast-moving consumer goods production. This industry thrives on a global scale, so you may get to travel all around the world during your career.

An illustration of three people standing in a triangle

*Sector Skills Assessment 2021

Manufacturing was an area that I wasn't exposed to at all and knew nothing about but since working at Mersen and with the Graduate Apprenticeship I've been able to learn so much more about the industry and how it works.

Robyn

Engineering: Design and Manufacture Graduate Apprentice, Mersen

Explore engineering jobs

We’ve pulled out some of the popular engineering jobs for you to explore.

Explore more jobs

Some things you may not know about engineering and manufacturing

Scotland designs and builds more nano satellites than anywhere else in Europe.

Scottish Engineers are leading the world in harnessing tidal power.

The Scottish Space industry is growing rapidly and will need more than 3,000 Engineers in the next 10 years as Scotland prepares for the first European space launch from home soil.

*Scottish Space Strategy

What subjects to take

We’ve pulled together some examples of subjects that could be useful for getting into a career in engineering and manufacturing.

Computing
Physics
Engineering FA
English
Design & Manufacture
Maths

For most jobs, you might not need specific subjects. If your school does not provide all of these subjects or you're just unsure — do not worry. There are many more subjects you can explore by using the Option Choices tool or speaking to your careers adviser in your school.

What routes you can take

There are different options you can choose from after school. We’ve pulled together some of them to help you decide which is best for you.