A major theme in the Clyde Waterfront news section over recent months has been the creation of new jobs in a whole variety of business sectors, up and down the river. We’ve brought together some of the most significant stories to illustrate how employment remains buoyant, despite continuing economic uncertainty.
23 May 2011
Construction leads the way
Some of Scotland's biggest construction projects are happening
right now in the Clyde Waterfront area, providing a boost to a
sector hit hard by the recession. A total of 2500 construction jobs
will be created as the New South Glasgow Hospital takes shape. The
£842m build got underway at the beginning of the year. Brookfield
Construction, the main contractor, is taking an approach to
recruitment which will benefit the local community; one of their
targets is that 10% of the total workforce should be new entrants
into the construction industry.
Local
people benefit from South Glasgow Hospital jobs
During February, construction began on the SECC National Arena,
which is set to become one of the world's top 5 arenas.
Around 3000 construction jobs will be created in the course of the
project which is scheduled for completion in 2013.
Bovis Lend
Lease to build SECC National Arena
Braehead and city centre focus for retail jobs
Capital Shopping Centre's expansion plans will bring a much
needed boost to jobs in the Renfrew area. Capital Shopping Centres
are still to announce the expected number of construction and
retail jobs which this £150m expansion will create. During 2010,
around 900 jobs in the Braehead area were forecast, including
retail jobs at a new Dobbies Garden Centre, Primark and
Sainsburys.
Braehead
shopping centre set for extension
In the city Centre, the growth of the St Enoch Centre has been a
major focus for retail jobs. In 2009, 700 new jobs were predicted
as the centre expanded and already, over 500 have been
created. Throughout the process the St Enoch
Centre has worked with Scotland's leading employment and
regeneration agencies to ensure that local people benefit from the
jobs on offer through the St Enoch Working Initiative.
The people behind our hotels
A number of new hotels have been proposed in the area in the
run-up to the Commonwealth Games. Back in the autumn, a refurbished
Grand Central Hotel opened
its doors, the result of the hard work of 200 construction jobs. To
open, the hotel recruited 150 new employees.
Another recently opened hotel in the area is Hotel Indigo, a
boutique hotel in Waterloo Street, which opened at Easter with
around 100 employees. The ornate Victorian building was originally
a power station, but is now being refurbished as upmarket
accommodation.
Hotel Indigo recruiting
100 staff
Financial services a city centre success
The highly successful International
Financial Services District has attracted inward investment to
the city over the last decade with 16,000 jobs created since
2001.
One recent example in Glasgow's "Wall St" district, Scottish
and Southern Energy have moved into new premised at One Waterloo
Street, relocating 200 jobs from elsewhere in the city, and
expecting to create around 150 new jobs over the next year, with
more in the years to come.
Power company
brings city centre jobs boost
The long-running ship building story
Once the mainstay of jobs in the area, shipbuilding continues to
be an important source of employment in the 21st century; 3600 are
employed between the BAE yards at Govan and Scotstoun.
Current projects include construction of the HMS Queen Elizabeth,
the first of two aircraft carriers being built for the Royal Navy.
With build work underway at six shipyards across the country, this
is one of the biggest engineering projects in the UK today. BAE
Systems recently announced their latest graduate recruitment
programme, an important element in their continuing search for the
best engineers.
Search on for Clyde
Engineers
Strong opportunities at Lomondgate
Downriver at Dumbarton, the successful Lomondgate development is
creating much-needed jobs across a number of sectors. David
Hastings, Chief Executive of Strathleven Regeneration Company says,
"It is nearly 11 years since the J&B bottling plant closed with
a loss of 470 jobs in the area and one of our aims is for the
Lomondgate development to create or save at least that number of
jobs. With around 400 people employed making River City and
other productions at BBC Scotland's studios, 45 new jobs created by
Whitbread's recently opened hotel and pub/restaurant development
and 230 jobs to be saved and created by the development of Aggreko's new manufacturing
facility which will open later this year, we are now in sight of
this target, with more jobs to come as Lomondgate Services
and Lomondgate Business
Park develop."
Jobs and regeneration
When Clyde Waterfront launched in 2003, the prediction was
that around 50,000 jobs would be created over the 20 - 25 years of
the regeneration project. Since the start of the project around
20,000 jobs have already been created. The thousands of new jobs
which are continuing to appear in the area are a strong indication
that regeneration is taking hold and benefiting the people who live
and work along the Clyde.