History

The way things were...the way things will be

Maybe you've seen old films of ships being built in shipyards.  Hundreds of workers scrambling over them like ants, busy with welding torches, hammers, buckets of rivets, pots of paint, spirit levels, blueprints and all the other things they needed to make ships...ship-shape.

Scotland has a fantastic and proud history in shipbuilding.  Back in the last century, some of the most famous ocean liners in the world took shape here in Scotland - including the QE2.  Mighty battleships, too; the tides of war have been turned again and again by destroyers, cruisers and frigates built by Scots.

Big ships, little ships – they've all been launched down Scottish slipways.  Ferries that criss-crossed the coastal waters between the Scottish mainland and the isles and merchant ships that sailed the seven seas carrying British trade far and wide.

And, of course, the men and women of Scotland have played an enormous part in the designing, building (and sailing) of all these ships. Up until the 1970s, people could usually count on a job in the shipyards as being a job for life. But times changed and many yards fell quiet.  Now, however, the good times are back. There are jobs to be done - and careers to be developed once more.  Believe it or not, it's a Scottish shipyard that is the country's biggest employer of apprentices. And such is the calibre of the modern technology going into ships nowadays that these are truly 21st century careers.

A career that starts in the shipyards can take you just about anywhere you care to go.  As an apprentice engineer, for instance, your training will equip you to build exactly the career you want in a wide variety of other sectors as well as staying in the shipbuilding industry of the future.

The wider engineering industry provides a growing range of job opportunities, with a continuing demand for engineers with all levels of expertise and skills. The future looks good for those choosing engineering as a career.  And shipbuilding is a great entry route into the wider engineering industry. Your skills are likely to be in great demand in years to come.