Drive you career to new highs - in Scotland's low carbon transport sector

For a small country, we have big ambitions- zero emission railways by 2035, vehicle emission-free city centres by 2030 and plans to phase out the need to buy petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2032. 

At a time of significant industrial change, Scotland is showing global leadership in the transition to a low carbon economy, making it the ideal place for your career to take off.

World firsts

• The world’s first net zero aviation region is in the highlands and islands of Scotland and by 2040, all internal flights will be zero carbon.
• The world’s first electric fire engine was designed and built in Scotland.
• The world’s largest fleet of hydrogen buses is located in Aberdeen and has already delivered over 1 million passenger miles.
• The world's first hydrogen-fuelled seagoing car and passenger ferry, HySeas III, is in the final stages of development and will be launched in Orkney.
• The world’s first passenger-carrying autonomous bus will be the CAVForth Project over the Forth Road Bridge.

Talent

Scotland’s low carbon economy employs more than 23,000 people, with a turnover of more than £6 billion.  In low carbon transport, Scotland has key areas of expertise in batteries and energy storage; low carbon heavy duty vehicles; greener railways and hydrogen powered vehicles. Related sectors include advanced engineering, manufacturing, renewable energy, automotive, aerospace, software and IT, infrastructure and public services.

Employers

A diverse range of employers from start-ups to multinationals work in Scotland’s low carbon sector across the public and private sectors. They include:

• Alexander Dennis – Britain's biggest bus builder and a pioneer in zero emission buses
• Emergency One – creators of the world's first electric fire engine
• Arcola Energy –leading the project to deliver Scotland’s first hydrogen-powered train
• Arup, a global engineering consultancy, risk management specialist Abbott Risk Consulting and AEGIS Certification Services, which provides independent assessment and certification services, are also part of this consortium.
• Celtic Renewables – developers of a biofuel made from whisky residues that is now powering cars
• Forev – developing and building a network of public charging-points for electric vehicles across Scotland
• Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) – leading a £3.7 million project to create the UK’s first low-carbon aviation test centre at Kirkwall Airport in the Orkney Islands. Technology partners include Ampaire, ZeroAvia, Loganair, Windracers and Flarebright.
• Jacobs – the engineering group has played a leading role in delivering some of Scotland’s largest infrastructure projects, including the world’s longest three-tower, cable-stayed bridge, the Queensferry Crossing.
• AECOM – the infrastructure consultancy was involved in the Queensferry Crossing and Borders Railway and, alongside Jacobs, is working on a review of sustainable transport in Scotland.
• ScottishPower – the major energy supplier also sells and leases electric vehicles and is developing a network of public charging points.
• Transport Scotland – the national transport agency for Scotland leads on national infrastructure projects including the electrification of Scotland’s railways.

Job types

The variety of job types in low carbon transport is vast. They range from electrical engineering and digital design to active travel and software development. There are roles in planning, health and safety, finance, IT, marketing and customer services – alongside engineering roles in mechanical, structural, civil engineering and other areas.

Academic excellence

Scotland’s universities are centres of research excellence in areas including transport policy, logistics, fuel cells, batteries and ultra low emission vehicles. Sixteen of Scotland’s colleges also provide automotive training, including hybrid and electric vehicle courses, as part of their training programmes. Key hubs include:

• Power Networks Demonstration Centre – part of the University of Strathclyde, has received £3 million funding to focus on the decarbonisation of heavy duty vehicles through battery electrification and charging technology.
• Hydrogen Accelerator at St Andrews University – enables the effective and efficient implementation of hydrogen technologies into Scotland.
• St Andrews University – has a large research hub in energy and materials, including batteries and fuel cells, and hosts the £12 million NEXGENNA project to create a safe, cheap, long-lasting sodium ion battery.
• Edinburgh Napier University is a hub for the development of ultra low emission vehicles (ULEVs), including Scotland’s longest established transport research group to solve practical problems and issues in transport.
• Heriot-Watt University – a world-leading centre for policy and innovation in transport logistics and low carbon energy, collaborating with Cambridge University in the Centre for Sustainable Road Freight.
• University of Edinburgh – a world-leading informatics department, including the Bayes Centre.

Supportive business environment

Scotland is home to many ambitious low carbon transport projects and is supported by a highly connected public, private and academic environment:

• Transform Scotland – the national alliance for sustainable transport.
• Energy Technology Partnership – the largest and most broad-based energy research partnership in Europe.
• Scottish Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association – a membership body that promotes and develops Scottish expertise in fuel cells and hydrogen technologies.
• MaaS Scotland – a network of more than 75 public and private sector organisations in the mobility as a service supply chain.
• Sustrans – a UK-wide active travel charity.
• Connected Places Catapult – the UK's innovation accelerator for cities, transport and places, with a base at Glasgow’s Inovo building.
• Michelin-Scotland Innovation Parc – a £60 million world-class innovation parc in Dundee for sustainable mobility and low carbon energy, a joint venture between Michelin, Dundee City Council and Scottish Enterprise.
• LOCATE – a £4 million project to develop sustainable heavy-duty vehicles, in a partnership between the Scottish Government and specialist centres at Strathclyde and St Andrews universities.
• National Manufacturing Institute Scotland – an industry-led international centre of manufacturing expertise.

Quality of Life

Scotland’s rich outdoor wilderness, including mountains, coasts and islands, contribute to our award-winning quality of life, as well as creating the ideal ‘living lab’ to test and scale low carbon technology. Our cities and regions are diversity hubs of history, culture and innovation.

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