By Ewan MacGregor, MD at Helica
ACROSS Scotland, the conversation around construction skills has rarely been more prominent. From industry discussions to parliamentary debates at Holyrood, there is growing recognition that the sector faces a significant workforce challenge if it is to deliver the homes, infrastructure and energy transition projects the country needs in the coming decades.
Construction already plays a major role in Scotland’s economy, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs and contributing billions of pounds in value each year, yet the industry continues to face a widening gap between the number of skilled workers required and the number entering the sector.
Recent calls from industry leaders have highlighted the urgency of the issue. Earlier this year, Scottish construction leaders presented a skills manifesto at Holyrood, setting out the need for a coordinated national approach to workforce development that better aligns training, education and industry demand. The message was clear: without decisive action to grow and diversify the construction workforce, Scotland risks slowing progress on housing delivery, infrastructure upgrades and the significant investment required to achieve its net zero ambitions.
Encouragingly, initiatives such as Scottish Apprenticeship Week continue to shine a light on the many opportunities that exist within construction and the built environment. It is always inspiring to see the number of organisations engaging with schools, colleges and training providers to demonstrate the breadth of careers available across the sector. Apprenticeships remain one of construction’s greatest strengths, providing young people with a direct route into skilled and rewarding roles while enabling them to gain practical experience alongside formal training.
However, while nurturing talent from a young age is essential, it should not be seen as the only route into the future construction workforce. Focusing solely on school leavers and early‑career entry points risks overlooking people who are keen to make a career change later in life and who could bring valuable experience into the sector, where appropriate industry training and qualifications are available.
Many skills developed in other industries can provide a strong foundation for a move into construction, but they still need to sit alongside solid technical knowledge, regulatory understanding and importantly, site experience. Experience in areas such as project coordination, logistics, health and safety culture, stakeholder communication and team leadership can all add real value when combined with the right construction‑specific training, whether delivered by colleges, professional bodies or larger employers.
At Helica, we increasingly recognise the value that experienced professionals from other sectors can bring to the wider industry, particularly where they already have a strong technical or construction‑adjacent background. As the complexity of infrastructure projects grows, especially in the energy sector, the need for diverse professional perspectives, combined with rigorous technical and regulatory competence, becomes even more important.
Recently, we welcomed Andy Hall, 61, to a clerk of works role at Helica. We are always looking to strengthen our team by adding individuals with deep industry knowledge and certainly don’t see age as a barrier. Andy’s appointment has been as an extremely positive step, bringing decades of sector experience into the company. His depth of knowledge has proven invaluable to our work delivering complex infrastructure projects.
Stories like this highlight an important point for the wider industry. Construction does not only need individuals who have followed traditional trade or engineering routes from the beginning of their careers; it also benefits greatly from people who bring different perspectives, professional experiences and problem-solving approaches developed in other sectors. By creating clearer and more accessible entry points for career changers, the industry has an opportunity to unlock a broader talent pool at a time when workforce shortages remain one of its most pressing challenges.
By recognising the enormous value of transferable skills and by welcoming individuals who are ready to bring their experience from other sectors into construction, we can strengthen the industry while also providing meaningful new career opportunities for people at every stage of their working lives.
The future workforce of construction should reflect exactly that – skilled, adaptable and drawn from a wide range of professional backgrounds – because addressing Scotland’s construction skills challenge will require us to broaden the way we think about where talent comes from and how it enters the industry.
