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Delivering infrastructure with social impact

17 August 2026

Sector News Case Studies

Joanne Barrow
Head of Marketing & Digital

John Holland and KADYN partnership breaking down barriers to employment, giving back to community.

John Holland partners with organisations that not only deliver technical expertise but help create lasting value for communities. KADYN is one of those partners, a trusted subcontractor and certified social enterprise providing drainage and underground services on major rail and infrastructure projects across Sydney and regional NSW.

Through this partnership, KADYN brings both capability and purpose, contributing to projects that leave a positive legacy for the communities they serve.

Since 2008, KADYN Drainage has partnered with John Holland on over 17 projects including rail works across the NSW Hunter Valley, Sydney Airport, Narrabri to North Star, the Botany Rail Duplication and the Sydney Football Stadium precinct. Alongside this delivery, KADYN’s social enterprise model has allowed supportive career pathways for at-risk youth.

The latest Report on Government Services (RoGS), released by the Productivity Commission shows youth detention spending has surged by almost $400 million in just five years, rising from $720 million in 2019-20 and more than doubling over the past decade. Youth detention now costs an average of $1.3 million per child per year — or more than $3,600 a day.

Certified social enterprise like KADYN, have an innovative structure to deliver improved outcomes across juvenile delinquency and trade shortages. Through employment, hands-on skills development and structured training pathways, KADYN has supported 50 at-risk young people in the last 6 years to find their footing in the construction sector, building practical skills, growing their confidence and opening long term career pathways along the way.

John Holland partnering with certified social enterprise like KADYN is an example of a powerful way to lower disadvantage and bring about generational change. It’s not just a transactional partnership; it’s one built to reshape futures.

“Our purpose is to transform lives. Every project we deliver is an opportunity to create lasting value for our customers, our people and our communities in which we work. By working with social enterprises as valued suppliers, we ensure our projects generate social impact that extends well beyond construction.” – Melissa Raby, Head of Social Impact at John Holland.

KADYN has also worked with other companies on major projects including Multiplex, Laing O’Rourke, Axis Plumbing and Fulton Hogan.

“We have a genuine passion and commitment to continue to give back to the community positively and proactively, especially in areas that we operate in. Our social enterprise model is focused on breaking down barriers to employment, especially at-risk young Australians from marginalised communities including Indigenous youth and young people from low socio-economic backgrounds.
We help by providing practical, hands-on training and career development opportunities that empower young people to build fulfilling careers.” – Adam Rose, Managing Director at KADYN.

Certification opens doors

KADYN is a Social Traders certified social enterprise since 2024. Social Traders is Australia’s national certifier of social enterprises since 2018 and verifies enterprises according to the international standards across five key areas:

Purpose: Their reason for being is to solve a social or environmental problem.
Operations: They prioritise purpose, people and planet over profit in day-to-day decisions.
Revenue: They operate with a self-sustaining revenue model.
Use of surplus: The majority of any surplus is reinvested towards their mission.
Structure: Their legal and financial structures are designed to protect and lock in purpose for the long term.

There are over 750 certified social enterprises across Australia, many of them working with corporate and government to deliver social value through procurement.

KADYN

“Becoming a certified social enterprise reinforces our mission to give young people from marginalised communities the skills, support and opportunities they need to succeed. We're focused on offering more than just jobs. We're building long-term career paths that can transform the lives of young men and women.
Certification also opens doors. It gives us access to more opportunities through government and corporate procurement that favour businesses committed to social outcomes, and it lets us scale our impact by expanding our programs to reach even more young people who are struggling to find meaningful work.” – Adam Rose, Managing Director at KADYN

KADYN

In FY25, Social Traders corporate and government members reached the highest single-year total on record, bringing the eight-year cumulative social procurement spend to more than $1.4 billion.

Across the years, 300+ organisations have been working with Social Traders to drive social performance further through their supply chain.

The eight-year impact

13,383 jobs for marginalised communities
1 million training hours for people facing barriers to employment
$103 million spent on delivering affordable and accessible community services
68,050 tonnes of waste diverted from landfill
$16.8 million donated to charity partners

A membership supporting greater social value

John Holland had the greatest number of certified social enterprises in their supply chain at 54, earning them the Social Traders FY25 Most Diverse Suppliers recognition. As a Social Traders member, they continue to demonstrate their commitment to supplier diversity, as a strategic business lever to create social value.

“The Social Traders portal gives us quick access to a network of certified social enterprises, making it easier to find the right partners and with rich information, understand the positive impact they deliver. The annual reporting provides trusted verification of our spend and supports our governance obligations.
A key strength of our relationship with Social Traders is their partnership approach, continuously working with us to identify opportunities, strengthen our strategy and create greater social value for our customers, people and communities.” – Melissa Raby, Head of Social Impact at John Holland.

Commenting on the growth of social procurement among certified social enterprise, Tara Anderson, CEO at Social Traders said,

“With 35% average annual growth in social procurement spend and 20% average annual growth of certified social enterprises over eight years, Australia is establishing itself as a global leader for supply-chain driven social performance. Organisations that can demonstrate credible, measurable social outcomes are gaining competitive advantage – attracting talent, mitigating supply chain risk, and generating business value.
Social performance is no longer a nice-to-have; it is becoming a defining marker of industry leadership. Those that are not already delivering and reporting on it, will be left behind. Corporates can use their purchasing power to create positive impact, and now is the time to act.”

Get the latest industry snapshot on construction

Construction businesses made up 46% of the Social Traders members who spent over $1 million with certified social enterprises in FY25.

Download the latest industry snapshot and unpack the social procurement trends in construction. Start building a stronger social value strategy for your business.

See the impact outcomes achieved with the social spend
Discover the top spend categories driving positive change
Find out which communities are benefiting from the social spend

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