Manufacturing Industries

According to the latest figures, the manufacturing industry in Scotland employed some 172,000 people in 2010, about 9% of the Scottish workforce. Generally, job prospects across most sectors are likely to be stable, especially for highly skilled workers. However, there is still a lot of uncertainty about what will happen in manufacturing in the next few years. At present, the high cost of raw materials and the cost of borrowing money to invest in business development is of concern to many companies. Manufacturing in Scotland has had to change to survive. In some sectors Scotland, like most European countries, continues to find it difficult to compete with overseas manufacturers. Scottish manufacturers now often specialise in work like product design and development, or ‘after care’ services – making products that need to be maintained or upgraded, like sophisticated engineering equipment. See the ‘Engineering’ career area for more information. We have also focussed on some high quality products, like whisky, seafood, Scotch beef, cashmere and other luxury textiles. These sectors still provide a significant number of jobs in Scotland.

Raw materials for clothing and textiles are made into yarns and then into fabrics:

• some raw materials are natural – like cotton and wool, and some are manmade – like nylon and viscose
• fabrics include knitted and woven material for clothing or furnishings, as well as things like carpets, lace and rope.

The latest figures show that the clothing and textiles sector employs around 23,000 people, textiles alone employing 9,500 workers. Jobs range from machine operatives to production management and include design-related and technical posts. Notable centres for production include the Scottish Borders, Tayside, the Central Belt and the South West. The food and drink manufacturing sector employs around 46,000 people in Scotland (2% of all jobs in Scotland) and is our top exporting industry. The range of products is huge – some of them are:

• biscuits, cakes and tinned, dried or frozen fruit and vegetables
• meat products, like sausages and pies, as well as sweets and savoury snacks
• beers, lagers and (especially in Scotland) whisky. Scotland is the main distilling manufacturing area in the UK.

A high number of food and drink manufacturers are based in Glasgow, Aberdeenshire, Moray, North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire. Furniture manufacture is a small but healthy sector and job prospects are likely to be steady. There has been some growth in hand crafted furniture design and manufacture. In general, the need for unskilled workers is decreasing. Firms use modern equipment and need highly skilled staff. If you are going to work in manufacturing, you must be practical, responsible, reliable and methodical. You may be in places where dangerous tools and machines are used, so you must observe safety regulations.

You can get into some jobs without qualifications. You might be able to work your way up to become a manager. There may also be opportunities through Modern Apprenticeships. You can study for Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) while you are working. You can take qualifications at all levels, from 1-year National Certificates (NC) or National Qualifications (NQ), through Higher National Certificates (HNC) and Higher National Diplomas (HND) to degree courses, before you apply for a job. The jobs and courses in this career area have been divided into 4 sectors:

• Manufacturing general
• Clothing and textiles
• Food and drink
• Furniture.

Sources

Fashion and Textiles IAG Careers Adviser Fact Sheet 2012 – Skillset/Alliance of Sector Skills Councils Scotland/SDS

The Food and Drink Manufacturing Processing Industry in Scotland Labour Market Information Profile 2010/2011 – Improve Skills

Food and Drink Manufacturing IAG Careers Adviser Fact Sheet 2012 - Improve/Alliance of Sector Skills Councils Scotland/SDS

Manufacturing in Scotland: Securing Scotland’s Future – Institution of Mechanical Engineering

The Future of Manufacturing in Scotland – STUC, March 2011

CBI Scottish Industrial Trends Survey, April 2012

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