The labour market is competitive and businesses are increasingly recognising the value of tapping into diverse, overlooked talent pools.

One of the most compelling examples of how this can be done effectively is the long‑standing partnership between CPB Contractors and CareerSeekers, a certified social enterprise supporting refugees and people seeking asylum into professional employment.

What began in 2018 as a modest commercial arrangement has since evolved into a strategic, values‑aligned workforce initiative. One that is reshaping recruitment practices, fostering cultural capability, and delivering long-term business value and social impact.

CPB Contractors and CareerSeekers were finalists in the 2025 Social Traders Game Changer Awards.

Where shared purpose meets high social performance

Since its inception, the partnership has grown significantly, expanding from a small pilot of 10 interns into an annual commitment of 25 participants. CareerSeekers’ deep cultural insight and tailored support have played a critical role in preparing interns and equipping host managers within CPB Contractors to create successful placements.

The partnership is in its third-year agreement and has:

• hosted 148 internships for 79 participants, with
• 57 securing permanent employment outcomes, representing a 72% conversion rate

In 2024 alone, 22 interns joined the business with 5 already securing ongoing roles.

These outcomes position the partnership not just as a program, but as a proven model for inclusive workforce development, which has entered its third three‑year agreement.

Leadership-driven innovation: how the partnership evolved

A major catalyst for growth has been the leadership of Sharon Gray, CPB Contractors’ Diversity, Indigenous and Social Inclusion Group Manager. Sharon’s advocacy secured executive buy‑in, formalised public targets, and embedded refugee inclusion as a strategic hiring priority

To transform intent into impact, CPB Contractors introduced a suite of internal innovations:

1. Cultural capability and inclusive leadership training

Hiring managers received tailored training and ongoing guidance to ensure interns were well supported, helping to normalise refugee inclusion across project teams.

2. Embedding social outcomes into recruitment policies

Greater weighting was applied to social impact in hiring decisions—aligning with CPB Contractors’ Diversity and Inclusion Policy and global principles such as Article 23 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Right to Work).

3. Co-design and deep employer engagement

CPB Contractors worked closely with CareerSeekers to understand the backgrounds, skills, and aspirations of refugee professionals. This enabled placements to be career-aligned and created pathways to long-term employment.

4. Scaling support on both sides

As CPB Contractors expanded the program, CareerSeekers scaled its service model—enhancing intern preparation, tailoring training to construction environments, and providing ongoing advice to host teams.

Together, these innovations shifted the partnership from transactional placements to a sustainable, system-changing workforce strategy.

The impact: Empowering people and strengthening business capability

The results of the partnership demonstrate its profound human and organisational impact.

Since 2018, CPB Contractors has invested more than $500,000 in internship sponsorships, enabling humanitarian entrants to rebuild their careers and lives in Australia.

Team members across CPB Contractors now also contribute through volunteering in mentoring and interview preparation sessions—further strengthening CareerSeekers’ model and expanding internal cultural capability.

One powerful example is Mir, a civil and environmental engineer who fled Afghanistan following the fall of Kabul. Through CareerSeekers, he received targeted support and secured an internship with Spark on the North East Link Project. His performance earned him a permanent engineering role with CPB Contractors.

“CareerSeekers helped me get my dreams back,” Mir says. “They showed me I could launch a career—not just get a job.”

Stories like his highlight the transformative potential of strategic, values-led hiring.

A blueprint for inclusive workforce strategy

For business professionals seeking to build resilient, future-ready organisations, the CPB Contractors–CareerSeekers partnership offers a compelling blueprint. It demonstrates that:

• Talent can be found in places many organisations overlook.
• Inclusion requires intentional policy shifts, leadership advocacy, and cultural capability building.
• When done well, social procurement is not an add-on—it becomes a core driver of workforce excellence and innovation.

This partnership proves that aligning commercial needs with purpose can unlock extraordinary results – that corporates can work with certified social enterprises to drive social performance further.

Through shared investment, co-design, and long-term commitment, CPB Contractors and CareerSeekers have set a new benchmark for inclusive employment in the construction and infrastructure sector—and beyond.