Australia is suffering a chronic housing shortage. At the same time, Australia is experiencing an unprecedented level of insolvencies across the construction sector. Insiders point to a
number of factors as contributing to the calamity: dependency on foreign-supplied inputs; fossilized value chains that resist innovation; misguided government policies; redirection of
scarce resources to high-cost vanity infrastructure projects; and over regulation. However, the Productivity Commission (2025) concludes that a major factor driving industry failure is a lack
of capable management, coupled with an unprecedented shrinkage in skilled labor supply. Part of the problem is that the average age of industry workers is 50 years, and such are
retiring without sufficient replacement. Another explanation is that the education sector is failing to properly equip industry entrants with the relevant or requisite level of skills needed to
shepherd the industry back into health. Are Australian educational institutions adequately preparing its graduates for their professional roles in the construction industry? Institutions generally affirm that they do; so too accrediting bodies. Yet, we do not know how the construction industry itself perceives the work-readiness of the graduates it recruits. This study aims to explore that question. The paper begins by auditing the 22 Australian tertiary level institutions that offer construction management programs; mapping out exactly what it is they teach. It then proceeds to discuss the stated professional requirements of the 4 main industry bodies that represent the industry. Finally, interviews conducted with industry representatives of the work-readiness of graduates are analyzed. Simply, findings confirm that while the majority of institutions offer a solid entrée into the workings of the construction industry, graduates remain significantly underprepared to work independently. More importantly, the content of programs has not been sufficiently updated to respond the dynamic changes experienced by the industry of today.