Open Doors 2025—which Build UK is delivering between 17 and 22 March—will see young people and those looking for a change of career go on behind-the-scenes tours of more than 250 construction sites and workplaces to get a taste of what it is like to work in the sector.

The industry needs to recruit an extra 50,000 workers per year to meet the demand for new homes and infrastructure, according to the CITB’s Construction Skills Network report. 

Events are taking place at some of the country’s most high-profile construction projects, including the expansion of the North Stand at the Etihad Stadium, the UK’s largest ever new railway station at Old Oak Common as part of HS2, the £220 million refurbishment of Prince Charles Hospital in Wales, and the new Hamilton Dock Hotel within the Titanic Quarter in Belfast.

Offices and manufacturing facilities are also opening their doors to demonstrate the off-site roles across the sector, whilst several training centres will allow visitors to try their hand at specialist trades, such as remote demolition at an apprentice training facility in Nottingham.

A recent study by The Careers & Enterprise Company revealed that construction is one of the top 10 sectors to work in.

Open Doors is a unique opportunity to engage with young people from an early age and show them the wide range of opportunities available in the industry.

Julie White, chair of Build UK, said: “The Government has put the delivery of homes and infrastructure at the heart of its mission to kickstart economic growth, which means there has never been a better time for people to start a career in our sector – and the record number of visitors for this year’s Open Doors shows that the message is beginning to get through.

“Construction offers a wide range of rewarding, well paid career paths, and Open Doors enables the future workforce to see first-hand job roles they might not have previously considered and speak directly to people working in the industry about their experiences.”