Willmott Dixon is opening 29 of its construction sites across the UK between 13th-18th of March as part of an industry-wide initiative by Build UK designed to introduce tens of thousands of people to the possibilities of a career in construction.

With an estimated 266,000 new construction employees required by 2026 (according to CITB), Open Doors’ participating sites aim to highlight the range of different roles available in construction. These include in IT, design, technology and sustainability alongside roles onsite delivering projects for local communities.

Among the 29 live sites, Willmott Dixon has included transport interchanges, police stations, city-centre housing schemes, schools, sites with a strong sustainability focus and even a BIM virtual-reality design centre.

The initiative is intended to target a wide range of current and future job seekers, including school and college leavers, university graduates, career changers, ex-armed forces, prison leavers and the currently unemployed. The Open Doors initiative works through a network of approved developers, as well as through high school careers officers, Jobcentre Plus, Local Enterprise Partnerships and local councils.

Willmott Dixon has been a longstanding partner of the initiative – and has previously had visitors to Open Doors sites go on to work for the company.

Last year, Willmott Dixon was declared the UK’s ‘best big company to work for’ at the Best Companies awards, with chief executive Rick Willmott recognised as ‘best leader’ in a special Best Companies award.

John Waterman, Chief Operating Officer at Willmott Dixon, said:

“We want to bring construction to a whole new generation of people to show what a fantastic career you can have that makes a real difference to so many people’s lives. These projects are a fantastic example of this in showing our role in creating the fabric that provides places for people to live and thrive. We hope that people who visit our sites gain a real interest for a career in construction as well as getting a look at a development reshaping their area.”

The construction industry is experiencing a skills shortage and the implications of this are forecasted to continue for some time. That’s why Willmott Dixon is using Open Doors to highlight the range of roles available across the sector – from building management, project management, surveying and estimating to jobs not traditionally site-based such design, bidding, marketing and sales, and digital.

Open Doors runs from 13-18th of March. To find out more and book a visit to a participating site, head to the official Open Doors website here.