Building work to deliver 39 new one- and two-bedroom flats has commenced.

The £3.5m development by Kingdom Housing Association (HA) will also see three young apprentices working on site. They have been employed by construction firm Lundin Homes.

As part of its Affordable Housing Programme, Kingdom incorporated a number of community benefits into the building contract, with employment and training opportunities being facilitated by Kingdoms employability team, Fife Works.

For this project, Lundin Homes is the appointed contractor and with support from Fife Works, the company hired two joinery apprentices. An apprentice plumber was also employed through the with recruitment support from Fife Works, the firm recruited 2 joinery apprentices. An apprentice plumber was also hired through the Opportunities Fife Partnership.

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Charles Milne, Chair of Kingdom HA, said: "Kingdom is continuing to develop new affordable housing projects. The investment allows us to incorporate community benefits into the contracts and the project in Kirkcaldy is an excellent example of the added value that housing associations can deliver."

Rae Grieve, Chair and CEO of Lundin Homes, added: "In the current economic climate we are extremely fortunate to be in a position to have three apprentices across our developments.

"Delivering employment and training outcomes are part of our community benefits activity and we are pleased we can provide opportunities where they might otherwise not exist."

The Pottery Road development is costing a total of £3.5m, with £1.16m in funding being provided by the Scottish Government. The homes, when completed, will be made available for mid-market rent.

The flats are due for completion from January 2015.

(JP/MH)