Open Doors, a campaign which sees live construction sites open their doors to the public, has kicked-off today (18 March) until 23 March with over 6,000 visitors taking part in site visits
The Open Doors campaign, which is led by Build UK in partnership with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), aims to inspire young people and career changers to consider and explore a dynamic and exciting career in the construction industry.
According to the latest statistics, across the UK there were 2.5 million people employed by the construction industry. Campaigns such as Open Doors Week are one of the driving forces to help encourage the next generation to consider their career in construction, by showcasing the rich mix of opportunities on offer.
This year’s Open Doors Week will see over 290 sites opening up across England, Scotland and Wales to allow the public to see first-hand the work that takes place within the construction industry.
Sites opening their doors to the public in England, Scotland and Wales during this week include:
- Galliford Try’s East Lothian Community Hospital
- Bouygues UK’s Cardiff Innovation Campus
- Willmott Dixon’s Nhow Hotel.
Open Doors is also supported by the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS), the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS), Construction News and Go Construct.
Suzannah Nichol MBE, Build UK chief executive, said: “This year’s Open Doors Week is the biggest yet, with over 290 projects, offices & workplaces opening their doors to encourage people to choose construction as their choice of career. It is a fantastic opportunity to see behind the scenes, meet people in the industry and find out why they love working in construction!”
Steve Radley, CITB director of policy added: “Our recent skills forecast shows that over 168,000 construction jobs will be created across the UK over the next five years, and we need to attract people from all walks of life to help fill them.
“Open Doors is a fantastic initiative that provides a behind the scenes look at some of the UK’s most interesting building sites, and shows the huge variety of rewarding and exciting careers construction has to offer.
“We are delighted to be working in partnership with Build UK on Open Doors 2019 and encourage anyone interested in the industry to register and go along.”
