What is National Construction Week?

National Construction Week (NCW) is a UK-wide campaign which gives young people the chance to experience the broad range of exciting opportunities available in the modern construction industry.

In 2006, over 70,000 young people took part in NCW. Some of the events included:

Eco-challenges’, with young people designing and constructing models of environmentally friendly homes;

Traditional craft workshops to highlight the importance of heritage skills in maintaining the UK’s historic buildings;

A ‘build a house in a day’ challenge for A-Level students, which will illustrate the vast array of elements that go into a house; and

A debate on global warming and the built environment, to show how construction can reduce its impact on the world around us.

Why do we need National Construction Week?

The Construction Skills Network report forecasts that 348,000 more recruits will be needed for the construction industry by 2010 to meet expected demand – an average of 87,000 new recruits per year. ConstructionSkills has also commissioned research (2005) among 2,400 11 to 18 year old girls, which found that over two thirds (70%) felt there was a gender bias against girls in the careers advice they were given, despite the girls themselves being keen to break gender stereotypes. The Positive Image campaign, which is now in its ninth year, led on a television advertising campaign designed to appeal to young people - women and ethnic minorities in particular - encouraging them to “make their mark” on the built environment by joining the industry. NCW forms part of this wider campaign and provides a great platform for all companies and organisations involved in construction to reach future recruits.

How can I get involved?

NCW, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2006, depends on as many construction companies, organisations, schools and colleges getting involved and offering compelling opportunities for young people to experience construction. To get involved in NCW 2007: You can register events on the official site, http://www.ncw.org.uk/, but there is plenty of scope for construction companies to organise their own events For companies who would like to get involved but don’t have the time or resources to organise a separate event, many of the activities that take place would benefit from support from local construction companies in the form of sponsorship, man power and materials. Event organisers can advertise their event free of charge and ask for support by going to www.ncw.org.uk. Architects, designers, developers and construction companies who want to offer site or office visits can send their contact details to info@ncw.org.uk or fax them to 01509 283 174 and the National Construction Week team will endeavor to match them up with schools looking for site visits.