Tag: careers

Edinburgh’s economy: A tale of two cities

“The time has come to take a good look at why there are still people living in Edinburgh who are not sharing in this prosperity” – Councillor Gavin Barrie, Housing & Economy convener 

An Economy Strategy to tackle inequality and poverty in the Capital has been published by the city council. The draft strategy which will be considered by councillors at the Housing and Economy Committee on Thursday, recognises that although Edinburgh remains the second most prosperous UK city outside London, jobs growth alone has not been sufficient to tackle poverty and deliver sustained improvements in living standards for everyone. 

Consultation carried out with all political parties and businesses, as well as local communities and the third sector, revealed a consensus of opinion that Edinburgh’s economy should aim to create jobs and inspire innovation but that it should also do much more to ensure that the benefits of that prosperity are accessible to all residents across the city.

It has been created around three themes – innovation, inclusion and collaboration and includes ten steps to achieve this goal. The council alone cannot achieve this and needs ownership and leadership from other city partners such as the Edinburgh Partnership and Edinburgh Business Forum.

Cllr Gavin Barrie, Housing and Economy Convener, said: “Our Economy Strategy sees an important shift in the focus of our work to help Edinburgh’s economy to grow. It is going from strength to strength and has shown great resilience during tough economic times. The time has come, however, to take a good look at why there are still people living in Edinburgh who are not sharing in this prosperity. 

“We need to grow our economy so that it is fair in terms of wages, opportunity, access to housing, education and good careers. Much of that work has already started through our commitment to build 20,000 new affordable homes in the city and the £1.1b Edinburgh and South-East Scotland City Region deal, which will provide £300m for world leading data innovation centres, £25m for regional skills programme to support improved career opportunities for disadvantaged groups and £65m of new funding for housing to unlock strategic development sites.

“The strategy also fits in well with the most recent Scottish Government Economic Strategy and UK Industrial Strategy, both of which have placed increasing emphasis on the need for inclusive growth for our economy.

“Locally, the strategy also represents one of the first major practical steps towards achieving the City Vision for 2050 that we have been developing with contributions from people across the city since September 2016.”

Hugh Rutherford, Chair of the Edinburgh Business Forum, said: “To stay ahead of our global competitors, Edinburgh needs a laser focus on our world leading sectors – financial services, tech, life sciences, creative industries and tourism.

“But we need more than sectoral growth – we need responsible and sustainable ‘good growth’, making sure everyone benefits in a way that’s not happened before. Crucial to the success of this will be the private sector, all levels of education, and the third and public sectors working together to achieve this common goal.”

Ella Simpson, Chief Executive, Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations’ Council, said: “I am pleased the Strategy explicitly acknowledges poverty and inequality in the City and highlights actions which aim to reduce the impact on people’s lives.  The strategy needs to recognise the existing communities and people as the bedrock for fair growth in the city and it is important that we provide support to business, from all sectors, to be the best employers they can be.” 

The Strategy’s ten steps, which all have their own actions plans.

  • Establish Edinburgh as the data capital of Europe.

  • Develop Edinburgh as a city of resilient businesses with the space to grow.

  • Create a step change in the growth of green and socially responsible business in Edinburgh.

  • Deliver new approaches to tackling the barriers that reinforce worklessness, poverty and inequality.

  • Reform Edinburgh’s education and skills landscape to meet the needs of our changing economy.

  • Deepen our relationships with employers to unlock good career opportunities.

  • Create a transformational city centre fit to power Scotland’s economy.

  • Build a world class Waterfront, and deliver business and residential growth in West Edinburgh.

  • Build affordable places for people to live and work.

  • Deliver sustainable and inclusive growth in our world leading culture and tourism sectors.

Engineering students best placed to avoid graduate job struggle

Electrical & Electronics Engineering students are best placed to secure a job related to their course after graduating, while almost all Travel & Tourism grads will have to look outside of their subject for a career, according to new research by job search-engine Adzuna. Continue reading Engineering students best placed to avoid graduate job struggle

Tech Industry ‘least sexist’ in UK employment market

A surprising number of job ads still use gender-biased language in the quest for perfect candidates, but some industries are bucking the trend. The technology industry was amongst the least biased of all UK sectors, new research by job search engine Adzuna has found.

The finance and travel sectors also proved themselves more immune to sexist language than many others.

The research was conducted last month and analysed a selection of traditionally masculine and feminine words* across more than one million live job ads on Adzuna, observing the number of adverts in which each word appeared. The search covered 28 sectors and all 12 regions of the UK, to identify the industries most likely to appeal to applicants of each gender.

The research found a high proportion of ‘male-dominated’ words* in adverts for sales and consultancy positions, with words identified as masculine by the study, like ‘superior’ and ‘challenge’ appearing more often than the likes of ‘considerate’ and ‘understanding’.

Adverts for roles in teaching, social work and nursing, on the other hand, were found to be worded in a way that may appeal more to female candidates, with an emphasis on ‘compassion’, ‘warmth’ and soft skills.

Traits that pay

Ironically, greedy candidates are indeed first in line to make top dollar, with average salaries citing this trait topping the salary charts with average pay of over £60,000. Employees with principles, on the other had, command far less, with advertised salaries of £38,000.

The most popular of the ‘masculine’ words included ‘lead’ (410,748), ‘active’ (219,468) and ‘competitive’ (202,188); but ‘outspoken’ (42) and ‘stubborn’ (37) employees were less in demand.

Of the feminine words, ‘support’ (519,187 mentions), ‘responsive’ (483,428) and ‘understand’(241,741) occurred most frequently in job descriptions on the Adzuna website. Conversely, 241 employers sought gentle staff, 132 felt being affectionate would boost chances of job success and just 6 prized modesty in applicants.

Female candidates should cast their eyes East

Northern Ireland and London saw the largest concentration of job adverts geared towards male candidates.

Recruiters in the east of the country, on the other hand (including the North East, East and South Eastern regions) were more likely to appeal to female candidates, based on the language used in job ads in these areas.

Gender divide reopens at the top

Even for the sectors that appeal equally to both men and women, the research highlighted a growing gender divide as the roles became more senior and the salaries rise. In the tech industry, senior data scientists and data architect roles both proved exceptions to the neutral language used elsewhere in the sector.

Doug Monro, co-founder of Adzuna, commented: “While the tech industry once again seems to be making great strides and disrupting traditional recruitment methods, some exceptions still exist. In the emerging world of data science. Our research showed both data scientist and data architect roles remain more appealing for the male of the species.

”Unconscious bias may lead to accidental discrimination, but there is no excuse in 2017.  It’s time for employers to head back to the drawing board and redesign their recruitment basics in order to keep up with the times!

”Recent data from the ONS showed a 19% pay gap persists between male employees and their female counterparts. Despite improvements, it is predicted this gap will not close for at least another 70 years. We need to do better.”

Data tables:

Table 1: Top 5 most masculine job ad sectors

Sector

Average UK Salary

Currently available roles

% of masculine words

1. Sales

£29,687

54,018

58.8%

2. Consultancy

£37,596

19.825

56.9%

3. PR, Advertising, and Marketing

£34,230

25,525

56.5%

4. Property

£33,465

11,135

55.3%

5. Retail

£25,361

38,643

53.8%

Table 2: Top 5 most feminine job ad sectors

Sector

Average UK Salary

Currently available roles

% of feminine words

1. Teaching

£26,594

51,055

64.7%

2. Social Work

£27,741

18,750

61.9%

3. Charity and Voluntary

£27,197

9,302

61.2%

4. Healthcare and Nursing

£33,623

107,423

59.3%

5. Admin

£21,513

46,936

57.8%

Table 3: Masculine words – average salaries and frequency

Masculine word

Average Advertised Salary

Current Vacancies

Greedy

£62,814

12

Heirachy

£42,060

368

Intellect

£46.266

581

Analyse

£47,002

4,865

Hostile

£46,381

151

Dominant

£42,500

1

Analysis

£41,339

74,320

Headstrong

£41,283

15

Principle

£38,430

30,537

Objective

£37,829

67,433

Self-sufficient/sufficiency

£37,533

1,711

Decision

£36,588

65,090

Superior

£36,494

6,570

Lead

£36,491

410,748

Impulsive

£36,098

155

Self-reliance

£35,736

200

Opinion

£34,395

7,049

Logic

£34,807

12,157

Athlete

£34,395

429

Challenge/Challenging

£34,072

146,138

Independent/Independence

£33,768

14

Persist

£33,756

2,400

Active

£33,506

219,468

Boast

£33,487

11,606

Force

£33,350

13,458

Decide

£33,294

5,832

Ambitious

£33,292

70,039

Compete

£32,592

61,419

Determine

£32,186

38,229

Reckless

£32,123

75

Assert

£32,105

4,395

Ambition

£31,721

28,302

Competitiv

£31,534

202,188

Individual

£30,749

226,917

Masculine

£30,270

32

Confident

£30,233

150,185

Courage

£30,240

1,497

Self-confiden

£29,864

6,642

Outspoken

£29,660

37

Stubborn

£28,147

42

Adventurous

£27,142

3,152

Table 4: Feminine words – average salaries and frequency

Feminine word

Average Advertised Salary

Current Vacancies

Tender

£44,013

18,938

Submissive

£40,506

14,041

Flatterable

£38,715

108

Connect

£36,822

33,393

Understand

£35,673

241,741

Considerate

£35,664

35,258

Cooperate

£35,310

6.699

Trust

£35,151

49,600

Yield

£34,564

1,949

Responsive

£33,833

483,428

Interpersonal

£33,648

58,938

Together

£32,897

50,295

Affectionate

£32,733

132

Support

£32,130

519,187

Dependable

£31,350

5.051

Sensitive

£31,254

181,228

Nuture/nuturing

£30,578

20,417

Commit

£30,286

5,727

Continue reading Tech Industry ‘least sexist’ in UK employment market

Local girls get a taste for engineering at Leonardo

Leonardo-Finmeccanica Engineers challenge outmoded stereotypes on National Women in Engineering Day

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Recent research conducted by EngineeringUK confirms that a host of organisations, including universities, media outlets and search engines are still guilty of reinforcing gender stereotypes through their choice of engineering images online. Their study revealed that 85% of engineering image searches and 81% of stock engineering images featured men. Continue reading Local girls get a taste for engineering at Leonardo

Edinburgh College apprentices win medals at UK Skills Show

Gold and bronze for Dan and Jordan

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Two Edinburgh College apprentices lifted trophies at a national skills competition this week, toppling UK rivals as they painted, decorated and crafted their way to success. Continue reading Edinburgh College apprentices win medals at UK Skills Show

Edinburgh’s young people worry over career prospects

But STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Maths) offers good career opportunities for young women too

exam-results

As thousands of teens nervously await tomorrow’s exam results, new research from Scottish Gas has highlighted the depth of anxiety among youngsters in Edinburgh about their career prospects …

  • Two thirds (66.5%) of young people in Edinburgh worry they might not find a career
  • Young women are the most anxious about salary expectations: over a half are concerned about their future earnings
  • Young men in Edinburgh show more confidence when it comes to salary, expecting to earn £34,732 before the age of 30
  • The survey shows young people believe their parents’ generation had it easier

Two thirds (66.5%) of 15-22 year olds surveyed in Edinburgh are concerned about the possibility of not being able to find a job in the future, while 67.5% are anxious about ending up in a ‘dead end’ job.

Research shows that young women are concerned most about being in a low paying job, with 58% admitting they fear that being in this situation in the future, compared to 77% of young men.

In Edinburgh, young women’s salary expectations reflect these worries: those surveyed assumed their earning potential was over 13% lower than their male counterparts. The research showed that on average, young women expected to earn £29,963 by the time they are 30, while young men expect to earn £34,732.

Young people are convinced their parents’ generation had it easier. Over half (55%) of those surveyed think it is more difficult for them to find a good job than it was for their parents. 

Nearly a half (45%) believe it is harder for their generation to find a job with a good salary, while a third (33%) of youngsters think it is more difficult to find a job with good prospects.

When asked about future career paths, the research for Scottish Gas shows that some sectors of the jobs market continue to be overlooked by many young women in Edinburgh. Just under half of those surveyed (46%) admitted they had never considered working in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) sectors.

Last year, just 3.3% of applicants for Scottish Gas’ technical and engineering apprenticeship schemes were women. The company has since put in place a number of measures to attract more women to its apprenticeship scheme. This includes hosting open days aimed at women at its Training Academy in Hamilton and launching a new mentoring programme.

The research found that women in Edinburgh are turning their back on these industries for a number of reasons, including a perception that the industry is sexist (11%), or better suited to the opposite sex (11%).  In addition, 44% of young women put their reluctance to work in STEM sectors down to their lack of knowledge of the subject area.  A further 6% also say there are not enough role models in these industries.

The results cast doubt on the quality of career advice youngsters get from their parents. The research revealed parents in Edinburgh were almost twice as likely to advise boys to take on an apprenticeship compared to girls. 15% of parents would encourage their son to take on an apprenticeship while only 8% of parents would give the same advice to their daughter.  Just over a quarter (28%) of parents said they offered differing career advice to their children, depending on their gender.

John Lochrie, former Scottish Gas apprentice and now Operations Director for HomeCare Services at Scottish Gas, said: “There are some fantastic opportunities for both women and men in these sectors, so I’m concerned to hear that so many young women are put off by careers in science, technology, engineering and maths.

“With boys already taking advantage of apprenticeships, I would encourage girls to think about engineering. Apprenticeships are a great way into an organisation, and at Scottish Gas they allow you to earn while you learn and develop skills for life.”

For young people considering a career in STEM, more information can be found online athttp://www.britishgas.co.uk/the-source.

Julie Dickson (3)

Julie Dickson (above) is currently training at the Scottish Gas Academy in Hamilton.

Julie, 24, joined the Scottish Gas apprenticeship scheme in January last year. She is now training to become an engineer at the Scottish Gas Academy in Hamilton. She applied for the programme whilst working at Scottish Gas’ contact centre in Uddingston to make appointments to fix boilers.

Julie said: “I started working at Scottish Gas during a really bad winter. I would speak with engineers to make sure they were going to help customers who needed our support first, such as the elderly or those with young children. It was really inspirational hearing how they went the extra mile to help people stay safe and warm, despite heavy snow and freezing temperatures. So when I heard that we were recruiting for apprentices, I decided to apply and I couldn’t believe it when I was accepted!”

When Julie arrived at the Scottish Gas Academy she instantly felt right at home. She said: “On my first day, I wasn’t surprised that I was the only female apprentice. I know, from my own experience, that women aren’t really encouraged to go down this route from school. All the apprentices are treated the same and the support and encouragement I get every day from my instructors is amazing.

Talking about the training, she added: “The training is second to none and it has really built up my confidence as well as a lot of my general skills. I really like the fact there’s a mix of practical and theory on the course. I can be learning how to test a boiler in the classroom one minute then apply what I’ve learnt on a mock boiler in the workshop the next. We also get to shadow qualified engineers as well, so we’re fully prepared and confident in our abilities by the time we get to a customer’s home for the first time by ourselves.”

Julie was also inspired to become an apprentice engineer because of her father, who’s now very proud of her achievements. She said:  “My dad works for an aerospace engineering company and started his career as an apprentice. When I was 14, I went along to a ‘bring your child to work day’ at his firm, and that’s when I realised that a career in engineering was for me. I’m delighted I’ve had the chance to get on the road towards following in my dad’s footstep and I’m really excited about the future.”

Now Julie wants to use her experiences to inspire other women to apply. She said: “I’d encourage anyone to consider an apprenticeship. You get to learn life-long skills and get paid to do a job that’s rewarding and enjoyable every day. My goal is to become one of the top engineers in my area to hopefully make other women realise they can get a career in engineering if they work hard.”

ProjectScotland announce six new roles in Edinburgh

ProjectScotland: Helping young people in Scotland to get on in life through volunteering

young women

Young people in Edinburgh looking to develop new skills, take on exciting projects and gain valuable experience this summer should consider ProjectScotland.  The charity, which helps young people get on in life through volunteering, has announced six new and exciting opportunities across the city.

ProjectScotland matches young people with charities working in areas including the arts, sports, youth work and animal care, or to departments within charities such as marketing, human resources, fundraising and journalism.

For budding writers with a keen news sense there is an opportunity for a Journalist and Content Creator to join the team at Relationships Scotland. Or, for those who possess the skill to capture a reader’s attention in 140 characters or less, the disabled access review website and app Euan’s Guide is looking for their next Social Media Guru and Content Whizz!

For those people looking to be out and about this summer, Gorgie City Farm is looking for a Summer Activities Assistant. From taking part in animal work to event planning and tour guiding, the role is perfect for anyone who enjoys working with children and animals.

For a role offering more desk-based experience, Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland is offering multiple opportunities for volunteers to build a variety of skills. Their role of Strategic Group Facilitator will allow a volunteer to gain skills in the provision of key secretariat support whilst the Community Researcher role will give a volunteer key research and organisational skills.

Age Scotland is seeking a Community Contacts Collation Volunteer with great communication skills to help collect information and answer calls on their Silver Line Scotland national helpline. Volunteers will gain valuable organisational skills as well as experience in dealing with members of the public.

Gunduz Ozturk, former ProjectScotland volunteer at Blackwood Foundation, has recently gone on to secure a full time position with Port of Leith Housing Association.  He says his volunteering gave him the edge when it came to securing his job:

“Volunteering is amazing. You get out of it what you put in – I got to learn new skills, got help with training, and realised what sector I wanted to pursue a career in. I really can’t recommend it enough.”

Aileen Kennie, Partnership Manager Team Leader at ProjectScotland, said: “We offer 16-30 year olds a variety of three month quality volunteering opportunities with great organisations across Edinburgh and the whole of Scotland.

“Our partners in Edinburgh, including Lloyds TSB Foundation, Age Scotland and Euan’s Guide, give our volunteers the opportunity to make a positive contribution to their community and develop themselves, while organisations benefit from additional talent and energy.”

All ProjectScotland volunteers receive a travel allowance, are offered a mentor, and are invited to a series of job-focussed workshops designed to help them plan for the future.

Young people in Edinburgh can apply online at: www.projectscotland.co.uk