Housing project helps unemployed

A housing association is working to make sure local construction projects create employment opportunities.

Kingdom Housing Association has been offering training to unemployed people through its construction academy, and has seen 10 people from Perth being trained up and offered work placements and given financial help to buy work clothes.

The academy has been able to recruit two unemployed people to its construction site in Bridge of Earn, where it is currently building 20 new affordable homes on behalf of Fairfield Housing Cooperative.

And after a successful work placement with the housing association, Garry Gannon was offered a labouring position with Ogilvie Homes.

Garry said: “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.”

Bill Banks, chief executive of Kingdom group, also 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.

“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 this opportunity to thank Ogilvie Homes, Fairfield Housing Cooperative, the department of work and pensions, Lowland Training, Perth and Kinross Council, the Scottish Government and the other partners who have supported us with the initiative as part of the Bridge of Earn project.”