Open Doors takes your learners behind the scenes to showcase the fantastic range of careers available in construction. Hundreds of events participated from Monday 17 – Saturday 22 March 2025 across all types of construction sites, as well as training and manufacturing facilities, depots and offices – online sessions were also available.
The event, which partners with the Careers & Enterprise Company, Careers Wales, the Department for Work & Pensions and Skills Development Scotland, provides an exclusive opportunity to experience construction workplaces and see the range of 180+ different careers in action. Visitors gained an exclusive insight into the sector and left inspired to consider construction careers going forwards. Open Doors helps you to satisfy the Gatsby Benchmarks and is an excellent addition to your annual programme of careers activities.
Read our Review of Open Doors 2024 to find out what impact the event could have on your students and then register your interest to be the first to hear about Open Doors 2026. A Review of Open Doors 2025 will be published shortly.
The dates for Open Doors 2026 will be announced soon, alongside key dates for your diaries. To be the first to know please sign up for updates.
Open Doors took place from Monday 17 – Saturday 22 March 2025. Dates for the 2026 event will be announced shortly.
All Open Doors visits are provided free of charge. Unfortunately we are unable to assist with additional costs involved e.g. travel, but if protective clothing is required the site will provide this for your group.
If a suitable site does not appear on our interactive map by November 2025, please contact us and we will ask our site hosts if they can open one local to you. If we cannot source a local site for you we may be able to arrange an online event or for a virtual reality experience to be brought to your location instead.
We would recommend sensible shoes and comfortable clothing, and it is always a good idea to bring some waterproof clothing as well just in case! Protective clothing (PPE) will be provided by the construction company hosting the site tour if required – you will know if your visit involves PPE as sizes will be requested at the time of booking (these can be provided later if necessary).
You will get the opportunity to see the project, office, or factory, meet the people who work in the industry and hear about their route into the industry. Many sites will require visitors to wear protective clothing (PPE), which will be provided where sizes have been requested at the time of booking. Some sites will also offer interactive experiences e.g. virtual reality, simulators or work tasters. Individual sites will provide information on what will be on offer on their site profiles, but you can contact them directly through their profile if you would like additional details.
If you have any specific requests or interests please email the event host directly and they may be able to tailor the content for you.
This will vary and estimated durations can be found on each event’s profile.
Yes absolutely! Just remember you will need to book each event individually and provide all the requested details separately (e.g. shoe sizes, if required), as the locations will likely be hosted by different companies.
Whilst we encourage groups of all sizes, some events may be operating under restrictions that mean they are not able to host larger groups. Please check the individual event profile for further details and remember that the earlier you book, the easier it will be to accommodate you!
We are happy for international visitors to attend. However, please note that Open Doors’ main aim is to encourage new recruits into the UK construction industry, and so places may be prioritised for resident visitors where demand exceeds supply. Please note that Open Doors cannot advise on or assist with work visa applications.
We actively encourage all sites to host children where possible. Details on whether children can attend, and any applicable age restrictions, will be available on each site profile, as this will differ from site to site. Please note if a site does allow children to visit, all vulnerable individuals including under 18s must be accompanied by a responsible adult. If under 18, they must also have parental or legal guardian consent.
Group visits are ideal for schools and colleges who wish to bring multiple attendees to satisfy the Gatsby Benchmarks. A group visit to an Open Doors event will allow you all to see what goes on behind the scenes and learn about the fantastic range of careers available in construction. Individual event hosts can be contacted to provide a Visit Brief and Risk Assessment to help you make the case to host the visit.
When visitor bookings open, once you have found your event through the interactive map, you will be given the option to book on that event’s profile if spaces are available. You will then be prompted to specify the number of spaces needed, and your age and contact details. Additional details e.g. student names, PPE sizes etc. can be added at the time of booking or later on if necessary. If you don’t already have a website account you will be asked to set one up, which will allow you to log back in later and update your booking’s information.
Whilst we aim to be able to host all SEND learners, this will depend on the event in question. Each event will clearly outline its accessibility and you should contact the event hosts directly through their profiles if you need further information or provisions for your group.
Each site taking part in Open Doors has taken all steps to make sure your site visit will be safe and enjoyable. To ensure your own safety you should follow any guidance given on site. All events can provide a Risk Assessment in advance of your visit if required.
No. The need for personal protective equipment (PPE) is determined by the Risk Assessment and will largely depend on whether you are visiting a live construction site, and where you will be viewing the site from e.g. visits hosted from viewing platforms may not need PPE. You will know if your visit involves PPE as you will be asked to confirm sizes at the time of booking (these can be provided later if necessary).
We provide our event hosts with templates for Visit Briefs and Risk Assessments, which you can request directly through their event profile. The Visit Brief will include the relevant Gatsby Benchmarks that the visit would satisfy.
Open Doors partners with the Careers & Enterprise Company, Careers Wales, the Department for Work & Pensions, and Skills Development Scotland, which demonstrates their support for the event in terms of being a fantastic careers preview opportunity.
The construction industry can offer people from all different ages and backgrounds an exciting career. There is so much more to construction than just building, from design and engineering through project planning to the archaeological digs that take place. To find out more about the wide variety of construction careers, the qualifications you need and case studies on what it is really like, please visit the careers website Go Construct.
Our Careers page features lots of useful information on construction industry roles and how to get into them.
For general questions relating to Open Doors please email our team via info@opendoors.construction. For information on attending specific events please make direct contact through each event’s profile.