In light of the escalation of Coronavirus (COVID – 19) Open Doors Week 2020 is changing from being an onsite experience to a virtual one!

The mission of Open Doors has always been to welcome and showcase the industry to as many people as possible, but we need to make sure it is safe and responsible to do so.

Thanks to the wonders of technology, we are taking Open Doors Digital and offering a range of remote options for visitors to learn more about construction and explore sites across the country!

Here’s Build UK Project Manager Alice Cook to explain further!

We would like to ask all employers to explore “Open Doors Goes Digital” and encourage all visitors to look at the options outlined below. In particular, schools can still utilise the spot in their timetable scheduled for an Open Doors site visit to explore the fantastic career opportunities available in construction!

Open Doors goes Digital:

• Information for Employers
• Information for Visitors

We hope you understand the need for the change of plan and we will continue to share via social media and the hashtag #OpenDoors20 throughout next week, showcasing the great sites our industry delivers.

As always, if you have any questions please get in touch with the team.

From today (Monday 7 October) registration for employers to take part in Open Doors 2020 officially opens.

Open Doors Week aims to inspire more people into the construction industry by letting them go ‘behind the scenes’ to discover the diverse and rewarding range of career paths the industry has to offer, as well as changing people’s perceptions of construction.

Companies can take part by registering a site and opening their doors to the public from Monday 16 March to Saturday 21 March. This year Open Doors is looking to encourage a diverse range of sites across Great Britain to open, and the offices, factories and workshops that all play an integral role in helping the industry thrive.

Last year Open Doors 2019 attracted more than 6000 people to more than 290 sites, offices and factories throughout Great Britain, including Balfour Beatty’s Glasgow Queen Street Station redevelopment, and Willmott Dixon’s BIM Cave in Birmingham.

The current skills shortage in construction is one of the most pressing issues within the industry. Open Doors provides a fantastic opportunity to inspire and recruit the next generation and career changers to choose a career in construction.

Open Doors is delivered by Build UK in partnership with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), supported by industry partners the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS) and the Home Builders Federation (HBF), community partners the Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), and media partner Construction News (CN).

Suzannah Nichol MBE, Build UK Chief Executive, said: “Whether someone is fresh out of school or considering a career change, a visit to a live construction site or workplace offers the industry a great chance to inspire a new generation of leaders. After the success of Open Doors 2019 we’re keen for the entire supply chain to get involved and showcase the breadth of challenging and rewarding careers the industry has to offer.”

Nick James – Strategic Partnership Director, CITB said: “Open Doors gives people the chance to visit a huge variety of construction sites around the country, where they can see for themselves the many fantastic careers available in our sector. CITB is proud to once again be a partner in this excellent initiative and I encourage companies to register their sites, so we can build on the huge success of the 2019 campaign”.

Ends

Notes to Editors

1. Build UK is the leading representative organisation for the UK construction industry. By bringing together Clients, Main Contractors, Trade Associations representing over 11,500 Specialist Contractors and other organisations committed to industry collaboration, Build UK represents in excess of 40% of UK construction – BuildUK.org.
2. To register your interest in participating in Open Doors, see the Open Doors website.
3. To find out more about CITB, see the CITB website
4. To find out more about the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS), see the CCS website.
5. To find out more about Construction News, see the Construction News website.
6. To find out more about the Home Builders Federation, see the HBF website.
7. To find out more about the Careers & Enterprise Company, see the CEC website.
8. To find out more about the DWP, see the DWP website.
9. Twitter: @OpenDoorsWeek #opendoors20 #inspiringconstruction #loveconstruction

Held from Monday 18 to Saturday 23 March, Open Doors 2019 saw the highest ever number of sites open!

The 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.

Supported by Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS), the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS), Construction News and Go Construct, construction companies opened their doors at places ranging from hospitals to schools to housing to BIM caves, offering a unique chance for members of the public to go behind the scenes at live construction sites, offices, factories and training centres across Great Britain.

With 6,000 bookings made, thousands of visitors took advantage of the opportunity to see the range of careers and professions the construction industry has to offer.

The construction industry is looking to recruit 168,500 people in the next 5 years, and campaigns such as Open Doors are an ideal way to showcase what it is possible to do in construction. With Build UK members opening not just the live sites, but also offices and factories which provide a whole range of diverse opportunities, we can engage with students, career changers, and many more who may necessarily wouldn’t have considered construction as a career path before.

Visitors enjoyed the opportunity Open Doors creates, with one saying “I was able to ask lots of questions and I can’t wait to find my dream role within the industry”. This is what Open Doors is all about.

Open Doors is delivered as part of the Inspiring Construction campaign, and over the next year, keep your eyes peeled for some exciting things on the way, to inspire the next generation to choose a career in construction.

Visitors can now register their interest for Open Doors 2020. Let’s see if we can go bigger and better!

If you are interested in opening up your sites, offices or training centres for Open Doors 2020, please contact info@opendoors.construction

Great Portland Estates plc and Mace welcomed students and industry stakeholders from across Lon­don today to preview their newest development and to support the Build UK and CITB campaign to inspire young people into the construction industry.

Open Doors is an initiative that is led by Build UK, in partnership with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) to inspire young people to get into the Construction Industry. Students from schools and colleges were invited to attend the Open Doors launch amongst the industry leaders.

During the launch, students and attendees enjoyed a speech from Build UK Chairman and Mace Deputy Chief Operating Officer Mark Castle highlighting why Mace supports Open Doors and listened to presentations by Mace Group and Great Portland Estates on the project plans for the Hanover Square site. Build UK Specialist Contractor member GKR Scaffolding also spoke about their work on the project, making it the first Open Doors launch with Build UK members representing the Client, Main Contractor and key Specialist Trades actively participating. Visitors also participated in a behind the scenes tour of the site.

The Hanover Square site is perfectly located above the new entrance to Bond Street station for the Elizabeth Line. Once completed, the estate will provide 170,400 sq ft of Grade A office accommodation across three buildings, prime retail predominately fronting New Bond Street and restaurant space comprises 40,900 sq ft of the development, while six residential units totalling 12,300 sq ft are positioned on the junction of New Bond Street and Brook Street, as well as a new courtyard area for the public to enjoy.

Open Doors, which runs from Monday 18 March – Saturday 23 March across more than 280 sites, offices and factories throughout Great Britain, including Kier Group’s Christ the Word School in Rhyl, Balfour Beatty’s Dundee Regional Performance Centre for Sports and Willmott Dixon’s Whitehouse Medical Centre in Milton Keynes. Visitors can book through the Open Doors website.

Last year’s campaign saw over 275 construction sites in England, Scotland and Wales open to 5,200 visitors and Open Doors 2019 has already seen a huge amount of interest from schools, colleges and the public.

Suzannah Nichol MBE, Build UK Chief Executive, said:

“Open Doors Week 2019 is set to be another record-breaking year with fantastic, iconic sites, office and factories opening up across Great Britain. Open Doors offers businesses across the whole industry a super opportunity to showcase the vast array of jobs and careers available within it.”

CITB Policy Director Stephen Radley said:

“The launch of this year’s Open Doors event is significant in promoting the best the construction industry has to offer and we are pleased to partner with Build UK again. As construction modernises, the range of opportunities and of people that we need to attract is widening. We look forward to engaging with the next generation of workers.”

To find out more about Open Doors Week here.

Open Doors Week 2019 will take place from Monday 18 March to Saturday 23 March and the website is now officially live for members to upload their sites!

Open Doors, delivered by Build UK in partnership with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) as part of the Inspiring Construction campaign, sees Build UK members open sites for the public to go ‘behind the scenes’ and showcase the huge variety of careers available in the industry.

The skills shortage in Construction is one of the main focuses within the industry and Open Doors is a fantastic opportunity to inspire and recruit the next generation and career changers to choose a career in construction.

For 2019, Build UK and the Open Doors partners, CITB, Considerate Constructors Scheme, CSCS, Go Construct and media partner Construction News are aiming to continue to build on the success of previous years’ and enable even more people to go behind the hoardings to experience valuable insights into construction.

This year Open Doors would like to encourage not only the fantastic sites across Great Britain to open, but the offices, factories and workshops that all play huge parts in this industry.

The whole supply chain can participate so that all specialist contractors, main contractors and developers are able to showcase the work they do.

From the acquisitions departments of the developers, to the bricklayers on site, Open Doors showcases the variety of career options available in the construction sector.

Timeline for Open Doors 2019:

• 5 November 2018 – Site registration opens
• 7 January 2019 – Visitor booking opens
• February 2019 – Open Doors Launch Event
• 1 March 2019 – Deadline for site registrations
• 18 – 23 March 2019 – Open Doors Week

If you would like further information on how to upload your sites, please contact the Open Doors team.

Open Doors 2019 will be running from Monday 18 – Saturday 23 March 2019.  To register your interest in Open Doors 2019 visit the Open Doors website, where you can also view the new video featuring highlights from Open Doors 2017 and 2018!

This year’s Open Doors took place on 19-24 March and was one of the biggest yet!

The 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.

Supported by Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS), the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS), Construction News and Go Construct, Build UK members and non-members opened up a fantastic 277 live construction sites across England, Scotland and Wales to the general public, with sites ranging from hospitals to housing to sporting venues, showcasing what the industry is all about.

Over 5,200 visitors took advantage of the opportunity to see for themselves the insights into the projects in their local communities as well as seeing the diverse range of skills and professions which make up the sector.

With the latest Construction Skills Network reporting concluding that 158,000 jobs will be created in the sector from 2018 – 2022, Open Doors is an ideal chance for the industry to highlight the number of dynamic and exciting careers there are in the construction industry. Jobs in demand include carpenters, labourers and white collar managerial roles highlighting the diverse range of opportunities in the industry.

For more information about the opportunities that are available in construction, visit the Go Construct website.

You can now register your interest in  for Open Doors 2019. For additional information, please contact the Open Doors team.

Open Doors Week has arrived and sites across England, Wales and Scotland are opening up their sites.

Bookings are now open for Open Doors 2018, which is taking place from Monday 19 – Saturday 24 March 2018.

Open Doors sees the industry open live construction sites and offices to the public to go ‘behind the scenes’ and showcase the huge variety of careers available in the industry. It seeks to inspire young people and career changers to consider and explore a dynamic and exciting career in the construction industry.

People who are interested in finding out more about a career in construction have an ideal opportunity to see first-hand life on a live construction site and hear about the multiple careers available in the industry.

Bookings are now available on the Open Doors website and spaces are set to fill up fast. Last year’s event saw over 5,000 people visit 200 construction sites across England, Scotland and Wales, and this year’s week is already shaping up to be another impressive event with 75 sites already added, including Kier Group’s University College Birmingham, Multiplex’s Aykon London One and Willmott Dixon’s Lincolnshire Fire, Police and Ambulance Services.

Sites will continue to be added daily until the middle of February, so keep checking the Open Doors website for up to date site locations and new ones in your area that are opening!

Open Doors is delivered by Build UK in partnership with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), as part of the Inspiring Construction and Go Construct campaigns. It is also supported by the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS), Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS) and media partner Construction News.

Build UK Chief Executive Suzannah Nichol MBE said:

“Bookings are now open for Open Doors 2018, which is set to be another hugely successful event which Build UK is running in partnership with CITB for the third year in a row. With sites continuing to register to take part in Open Doors, it is a fantastic opportunity to have a closer look at some of the UK’s most exciting projects and experience what makes construction such a fantastic industry to be a part of.” 

Sarah Beale, Chief Executive of CITB, said:

“Construction will see huge growth in career opportunities over the next few years. Providing the public with a proper look at our industry gives us a much better chance of attracting the next generation of construction workers.

We are delighted to be working with Build UK to deliver Open Doors and encourage people from all backgrounds book onto a site visit and take the first step on the road to a successful career in construction.”

Visit the Open Doors website to see all of the sites opening.

Build UK is delighted to announce the dates for Open Doors 2018, which is set to be another great week showcasing all our industry has to offer.

The next Open Doors will take place from Monday 19 – Saturday 24 March 2018, and offers a unique chance to see behind the scenes at major live construction sites to inspire young people and career changers to choose a career in construction.

The event is delivered by Build UK in partnership with CITB, and in association with Construction News, the Considerate Constructors Scheme and the Construction Skills Certification Scheme.

This year’s Open Doors Week was the most successful yet. Build UK members opened a record breaking 209 sites which saw 5000 visitors, which is a huge 66% increase on visitor numbers from 2016.

Build UK members went to great efforts to ensure Open Doors visits inspires the next generation, with 97% of visitors rating their visit as excellent or good. As a result, 83% of visitors said that they would consider a career in construction which is a fantastic result.

Open Doors also offers the industry the opportunity to attract potential employees. Berkeley Group opened Royal Arsenal Riverside and as a result of Open Doors directly employed a graduate, offered work experience to students and signposted other visitors to Greenwich Council’s construction boot camp to use as a springboard into a construction apprenticeship.

Build UK Chief Executive Suzannah Nichol MBE said:

“Open Doors has quickly become a key date in the industry’s calendar, giving us all the opportunity to showcase just what construction does for our communities across the UK and the huge range of exciting careers available in our industry. This year’s Open Doors has shown the importance of inviting people in to see just what goes on behind the site hoardings and I look forward to breaking more records in March 2018!”

To register your interest in getting involved in Open Doors 2018 please visit http://opendoors.construction/ and spread the word to the schools, colleges and universities that you engage with.