Are the construction graduates on ciob accredited degree courses meeting the skills required by the industry?

The CIOB skills in the construction industry (2009) report suggested that 34% of employers felt that new graduate skills sets are not relevant to the industry. This has been supported by the Council for Industry and Higher Education (CIHE) report on Graduate Employability, which highlights that 30% of employers are disappointed with graduate s employability skills. This study explores the perception of employers regarding the skills of graduates from CIOB accredited degrees, mainly on Construction Management programmes and whether there are any skills gaps that are not covered in the CIOB framework. The findings from a survey of construction professionals in the South of the UK is analysed and discussed in this paper. The study highlights that the problem of a skills shortfall is not because of a lack of emphasis, or incorrectly defined, learning outcomes within the CIOB educational framework, more of a deficit of employability competencies such as personal skills, and lack of work experience by Construction Management graduates.