Just one per cent of young Scots have searched for construction career

The Unexplored Opportunities report from Mobile Mini polled 18-24 year olds from across the UK on their career expectations and industries they’re looking to work in.

The results show that despite 54 per cent of Scottish respondents agreeing with the statement that the construction industry is important for the UK economy, the majority have never searched for a job in the sector, favouring retail (52 per cent), hospitality, travel and leisure (27 per cent) and education sectors (16 per cent).

Overall, just 1 per cent of the 18 to 24 year olds from Scotland polled said they had actively searched for a job in the construction industry, below the UK average of 3 per cent.

When questioned about their perceptions of the construction industry, 54 per cent agreed with the statement that jobs in the sector are mainly targeted towards men. Around one in five (21 per cent) said the construction sector is not a desirable industry to work in and 29 per cent said jobs in the industry are not secure.

In addition to views on the industry, the report explores young people’s expectations of their job roles. More than a third (43 per cent) said they would expect to be offered formal training as part of a job, but just 22 per cent said they would consider applying for an apprenticeship role.

Louise Arnold, director of human resources at Mobile Mini, said: “It’s clear from the results of our research that young people are simply not aware of the varied opportunities in the construction sector. The fact that 42 per cent of those polled said the careers advice they received from educational institutions was poor could go some way to explaining this, but the industry itself clearly has work to do in appealing to bright, young graduates and school leavers.

“The results also show a clear disconnect between a desire for formal on the job training and appetite for apprenticeship roles. Our own apprenticeship scheme has produced some fantastic employees who are making a big contribution to the company.”