Kingdom Housing Association is ensuring that its construction projects in Perthshire are creating employment opportunities for local unemployed people.

As part of Kingdom’s commitment to deliver community benefits in its affordable build programme the association has worked in collaboration with Ogilvie Homes, to recruit two local unemployed people at the Bridge of Earn site where Kingdom Housing Association is delivering 20 new affordable homes on behalf of Fairfield Housing Co-operative.

Kingdom partnered with Department of Work and Pensions colleagues and training provider Lowlands Training, which ran a Perth construction academy for 10 individuals, by offering work placements and financial support for work clothes to the academy participants.

After a successful work placement, Ogilvie Homes offered a labouring position to Garry Gannon and he joined the company as their second locally recruited labourer.

Michael Connolly, senior projects manager, said: “Ogilvie Homes are delighted to provide community benefits by supporting Kingdom Housing Association and their Construction Academy in creating work opportunities for young people within the local community and at the same time making progress in addressing the current skills shortage in the construction industry.”

Garry said of his new job: “I am grateful for being given the opportunity to put the new skills I have learned at the academy into practice and very happy to be working for Ogilvie Homes.”

Kingdom Housing Association has a significant build programme across Perthshire and will continue to support the delivery of work placements, jobs and apprenticeships at all sites.

Bill Banks, Kingdom’s group chief executive, said: “We have been successfully operating our employability project in Fife for 10 years, however funding constraints prevented us from expanding our employment and training initiatives into other areas. I’m delighted that we have now secured funding assistance from the Scottish Government which allows us to deliver enhanced community benefits as part of our new supply investment programme in Perth.”

Bill added: “We are operating a significant development programme and investment in new homes provides the opportunity to deliver added value through training and employment opportunities, however this is only possible where others share our community benefit objectives. I’d like to take the opportunity to thank Ogilvie Homes, Fairfield Housing Co-operative, DWP, Lowlands Training, Perth & Kinross Council, the Scottish Government and the other partners who have supported us with the initiative as part of the Bridge of Earn project.”

Support for community benefit activity is provided by Kingdom Works, Kingdom Housing Association’s employability project which recently celebrated its 10 year anniversary and has supported over 5000 unemployed people to find work.