Open Doors 2026
Last week, VolkerLaser welcomed students to two sites as a part of the annual Open Doors initiative.
Open Doors, delivered by Build UK, takes visitors behind the scenes of various construction sites to showcase the fantastic range of careers available in the UK construction industry. This year, we invited local students to visit our sites in Newcastle and Dundee.
Newcastle
On Monday 23 March, four students from Newcastle University visited our site at the A167(M) Central Motorway in Newcastle. The visit began with an introduction to VolkerLaser, including an insight on the career pathways you can take into the industry. The presentation also included an overview of the project’s objectives and the specialist techniques used on site, followed by a comprehensive safety briefing to ensure the students were fully prepared before stepping into the live works area. During the site walk, students observed concrete repair works in progress and saw first-hand the challenges that go into maintaining one of Newcastle’s key transport routes.
“We were delighted to host such an engaged group of students and support the next generation of industry professionals by giving them real-world insight on major infrastructure repair. Their enthusiasm was clear, as they asked thoughtful questions throughout and showed genuine interest in the engineering processes involved.”
Benjamin Leng Senior Project Manager for VolkerLaser
Dundee
We also hosted five students from the University of Dundee on Monday 23 March at our Tay Road Bridge site. The students were welcomed by the site team, who delivered a presentation outlining the full scope of works taking place and sharing their personal routes into the construction industry. Following this, the students were given the opportunity to ask any questions and were briefed on site safety before heading out on the site tour. During the tour, the students had the opportunity to access the V-Deck™ under deck system and observe the renewal of the Impressed Current Cathodic Protection system (ICCP) being installed on the bridge piers.
On Tuesday 24 March, another two students from the same university visited the bridge. Due to weather conditions, they were unable to access the V-Deck™ but returned on Friday 27 March to complete their site tour and see the works in progress.
“It was great to see the interest and enthusiasm shown by the next generation coming into construction. They were amazed to see the site and the effort our support teams put into projects to make sure they are a success.”
Rob Fairweather Project Manager for VolkerLaser
“Thank you so much for taking the time to host some of our students on site this week. It’s been incredibly valuable to learn about the work that VolkerLaser carries out and having the opportunity to step onto site was a fantastic experience for everyone involved.”
Samantha Riddel Employment Engagement officer for the University of Dundee
