JOHN HOLLAND RAIL
SUPPLY CHAIN simple initiative , but one that was very powerful ,” says Stewart . “ We brought the kids in to a designated safe area within the construction site , introduced them to engineering and construction as a career and gave them backpacks filled with goodies including a children ’ s hard hat , vests , disposable cameras so that they could take pictures . We got some different games going on , and were just trying to give a little back to the community – looking after kids for a couple of days during the school holidays , so that parents didn ’ t have to worry about child care for those days .”
John Holland Rail also works extensively to promote diversity , from its commitment to increase female participation to 20 percent by 2015 to its extensive work with Australia ’ s indigenous communities through such projects as its Career
Tracks Strategy . This program in particular works to provide education and training opportunities for indigenous peoples , especially those in rural areas . Stewart cites the company ’ s Roy Hill Rail program in Pilbara , Western Australia – a 390km railway running from the Roy Hill mine to Port Hedland – as a prime example of John Holland outreach . “ There we have three groups we ’ re working closely with to see how we can leave a legacy there for those communities ,” he says . “ We also look to partner with local indigenous companies and work with them to help train them and get them up to the level we need to be able to work for us – and hopefully lead a legacy for them to continue working with others when we move out of the area when our projects are complete .”
“ We self-perform , and we have a very large in house engineering and project management capability . We have 2,500 John Holland people working on railway projects at the moment and another 4,000 subcontractors . So we are a large employer , and people are really at the center of our values
– Richard Stewart , General Manager of Operations at John Holland Rail
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