Two new reports released by BuildSkills Australia paint a clear picture of the national skills landscape – and it’s one our profession knows all too well.
The 2025–26 Workforce Plan confirms what industry has been signalling for years: growing demand across construction, property and water, with a widening gap between workforce needs and training system capacity. Surveying sits right in the middle of this pressure, with increasing demand for skilled surveyors to support housing, infrastructure, spatial data, and resilience work. 2025-26 Workforce Plan
The VET Future Readiness Review goes one step further. It highlights that the national training system is struggling to move at the pace industry requires. Digital skills, data capability, leadership, problem solving, all core to modern surveying, are among the biggest gaps. The system isn’t updating quickly enough, so employers are turning to informal training just to keep up. VET Future Readiness Review
This is exactly why Surveyors Australia made the strategic decision to operate our own RTO.
We cannot wait for slow national reform cycles to catch up with the skills our profession needs today. Through Industry Training Alliance we can
• deliver training built around modern surveying practice
• embed digital and spatial capability where it belongs
• respond quickly as new technologies emerge
• support employers with fit-for-purpose, industry-led training
Most importantly, it ensures surveyors have a direct pathway into a profession that is evolving rapidly and playing a bigger role than ever in Australia’s growth.
These reports reinforce what we already know: a responsive, industry-led training model isn’t optional – it’s essential.
Surveyors Australia will continue leading the way in shaping a skills pipeline that keeps pace with the profession and meets Australia’s future needs.
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