Transport
Help run the country by delivering people and products where they're needed.
What impact could you make?
The absolute best part about my job is I know every single day I'm doing something that's making a difference to people's lives, whether they know it or not.Heather WaughTrain driver, Freightliner Group Limited
Transport at a glance
The transport industry is growing which means there are new job roles being created such as hybrid technology engineer. There’s also going to be a higher demand for existing roles such as carbon assessors, environmental lawyers and more. All these roles can be accessed through apprenticeships, full-time or part-time education.
Employment
It’s estimated that around 24,000 people were employed in public sector transport in Scotland in 2023.
Job availability
Decarbonising the railways in Scotland is likely to create around 630 new jobs each year between 2024 and 2050.
Job diversity
As electric cars become more popular and hydrogen and electrically powered technologies evolve, the transport industry will have more job opportunities.
Take a front seat and drive the world forward
We’ve pulled out some of the most popular transport jobs for you to explore.
Things you may not know about transport
In January 2021, Aberdeen started work on the world’s first double decker hydrogen bus. This vehicle makes use of hydrogen gas as a fuel source.
Source: First Group
Across the United Kingdom, eco-driving skills have the potential to save £300 million in fuel costs and 3 million tonnes of carbon emissions over a five-year period.
68% of vehicle retailers think that selling hybrid or electric vehicles will be a necessary part of business in the future.
Source: Transport Scotland
What subjects you could take in school
We've pulled together some examples of subjects and Foundation Apprenticeships (FAs) that could be useful for getting into a transport career.
English
science
Engineering FA
computing
design and manufacture
maths
Organisations making a difference
Discover some of the organisations within transport and how they’re making an impact on the industry.
Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI)
Institute of the Motor Industry's (IMI) goal is to help people working in the automotive sector gain new skills and professional recognition.
Visit IMI
Scotrail
The ScotRail network is vital to Scotland’s communities and to the country’s efforts to recover economically from the impact of COVID-19.
Visit Scotrail
Rail Haulage Assosciation
The Rail Haulage Association (RHA) and Microlise have a joint not-for-profit company, Road to Logisitics. It aims to encourage new talent into the transport and logistics industry.
Visit RHA