Aboriginal businesses and employees are playing a key role in delivering the METRONET Thornlie-Cockburn Link Project and Arra Solutions is one of the latest companies to come on board. They are building more than 3km of retaining wall along the rail corridor in Jandakot, using mostly recycled limestone blocks. 

Arra Solutions is a joint venture between majority Aboriginal-owned and operated Arra Group and Paving Solutions. They provide Aboriginal people with a pathway to work through their traineeship program offered on large infrastructure projects like METRONET. 

With around $11 million worth of onsite services awarded to Aboriginal businesses* and almost 30 jobs created for Aboriginal employees so far, the project is exceeding Aboriginal procurement and employment targets. Essential services being delivered include project works, traffic management, fuel supply, equipment maintenance, material supply and heritage monitoring.

The project may also be a springboard for more Aboriginal students interested in becoming engineers.   

Students enrolled in Curtin University’s Indigenous Australian Engineering School recently toured the project’s Ranford Road Station site.   

The students were given an insight into the career options engineering offered and heard from Environmental Undergraduate Yukio Chaplin, who works on the project through the CareerTrackers Aboriginal internship program.  

“I would like to see more Aboriginal engineers in the industry, and the positive feedback and enthusiasm from these students was very encouraging,” Project Aboriginal Participation Manager John Mallard said.

* Since project commenced up to September 2022.