The idea is to raise the profile of the industry, challenge stereotypes and encourage greater engagement with the public and local communities to attract talent into the industry.
Construction’s Open Doors is scheduled to take place on the 2nd and 3rd of November this year. The plan is for it to become an annual event.
The Open Doors scheme is being organised by by the UK Contractors Group (UKCG), the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), CITB-ConstructionSkills and the Considerate Constructors Scheme.
The organisers say that inviting the public to see sites will “demonstrate an industry-wide commitment to welcoming a wider, more diverse range of talent into the sector”.
CITB-ConstructionSkills director of skills strategy Steve Geary said: “Construction is undergoing rapid change as an industry and needs a wide range of high level skills to meet these challenges. Nowadays construction is more about careers than jobs and the expected increase in demand for management roles in the next few years means that we need quality talent entering the industry now to fill these future positions. ‘Open Doors’ is a unique opportunity for the industry to display the complexity and scope of modern construction projects and give people a taste of what it’s really like to work in the industry. It’s certain to challenge their preconceptions.”
CIOB chief executive Chris Blythe said “This is a fantastic initiative to re-engage the industry with the public. By lifting the lid on what actually happens in modern construction there is a real opportunity to attract potential talent outside the industry. Construction doesn’t need to be shy about what it does - it should shout about it. And we hope this campaign inspires others to get involved.”
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