Nearly 4,000 school children and their parents and teachers will get an insider’s view of the construction industry during Friday and Saturday as they visit 80 sites around the country for the second Open Doors weekend.
Crossrail sites, the Football Hotel in Old Trafford and the Stonehenge visitor centre have proved popular in pre-booking for visits, but even less exciting projects like a car park in Derbyshire are attracting visitors, said Stephen Ratcliffe, director of the UK Contractors Group, which has organised the event with support from the Considerate Constructors Scheme, the CIOB and the CITB, and the Scottish Contractors Group. Contractors taking part include Mace, Willmott Dixon, ISG and Morgan Sindall.
In addition to the public, 20 Members of Parliament, including business secretary Vince Cable, are also visiting sites in their constituencies.
Other projects open to the public include a scheme to create lanes on the M25, and a Technology Centre where new construction techniques are tested and a full-size Crossrail site has been created. Schemes also taking part include Greenwich Square (pictured below) a £225m development, which will comprise 645 new homes and over 35,500 sq ft of commercial space which is being built by Mace.
As the weekend is also an opportunity to excite young people about a career in construction and to show the breadth of different jobs which are available, visitors will be given details on how they can pursue a career in the sector.
Ratcliffe said: “Construction needs more young people entering our industry, and the weekend is an opportunity to tell the story of what a career in a modern and vibrant construction industry looks like. It is not about ‘dirt and bricks’, but an industry that is at the forefront of innovation, new technologies and creating iconic projects.”
Meanwhile, the government’s chief construction adviser has lent his support to an innovative and practical new qualification which aims to inspire the next generation of architects, engineers and construction professionals.
Peter Hansford joined major construction businesses, including BAM Construction, Hobs Reprographics and Topcon Positioning Systems, for the launch of Design…Engineer…Construct!®, a qualification for 11-19-year-olds that offers teachers and students a hands-on, project-based approach to learning about the professional construction and the built environment.
Design…Engineer…Construct!® has been piloted in 16 schools across the UK over the past two years. Initial successes include working with Hull’s Archbishop Sentamu Academy. The founders of the curriculum, Alison Watson and Dan Gibson, are now aiming to offer the curriculum to schools across the UK through their social business Class of Your Own and have already attracted backing from construction firms and bodies including: Mott MacDonald, Topcon Positioning Systems, British Land, Wates Construction, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers and The Survey Association.
Hansford said: “Construction is vital to society. It’s vital to our economic growth, and it’s vital to our environment. There are some fantastic opportunities for girls and boys, and Design…Engineer…Construct! is providing an excellent pathway to an inspiring, exciting future in the built environment.”
