J Tomlinson apprentice superstar, Dannielle Baguley, has been awarded the Rising Star title at the fbe East Midlands awards 2018.

The awards, which recognise and celebrate some of the best construction projects across Nottinghamshire, Leicester, Lincolnshire and Derbyshire, took place at the Albert Hall in Nottingham, and attracted over 140 industry professionals.

This is the second consecutive year that a J Tomlinson employee has taken home the coveted Rising Star award, which is presented to a young professional under the age of 30 working within the construction sector who has displayed outstanding achievements in their field. Last year, the award went to trainee quantity surveyor, Joe Gent. This year, it was presented to 18-year-old apprentice Resident Liaison Officer, Dannielle Baguley, who works within J Tomlinson’s regeneration team, delivering support to residents of Ashfield District Council while they have improvement work undertaken on their properties. At the same time, Dannielle is studying for an NVQ in customer service, which she is due to complete in 2020.

Having only joined J Tomlinson straight from sixth form in spring 2017, Dannielle has had several notable achievements in the past year, including winning the CT Skills Made in the Midlands Pride award, delivering inspirational careers talks to students at local schools, and playing an instrumental part in community fundraising initiatives.

Judges at the awards said: “Dannielle is highly motivated, dedicated and has great empathy for the local community she serves, which she has great ambitions for. Danielle has also inspired students in school to work hard to achieve their goals.”

Ant Newton, regeneration director at J Tomlinson, commented: “Fully deserved. When I first met Dannielle, she lacked self-confidence, and wasn’t sure of her career aspirations. She knew that she wasn’t quite ready to stop studying, and we agreed that an apprenticeship sounded like a good fit.

“Just one year later, Dannielle’s confidence has blossomed, and she has challenged herself to do things she previously wouldn’t have thought possible. Dannielle continuously receives excellent feedback from residents and fellow teammates about her compassion and willingness to go the extra mile. We are so proud of her many achievements to date, and we are all excited to see where the next few years take her.”

Dannielle added: “Beginning an apprenticeship is one of the best things I have ever done. My role as a Resident Liaison Officer and the support I have received over the past 18 months has inspired me to be the very best I can be. I want to continue concentrating on helping other young people do the same thing – whatever their passions.

“I feel like I can do anything I put my mind to. I’ve passed my driving test and recently moved away from home for the first time. Next year I will finish my apprenticeship and become a qualified Resident Liaison Officer. And those are big steps - but they’re also really exciting!”

Upon completing her NVQ Level 3, Dannielle will become a fully-trained Resident Liaison Officer, and is looking to use her ever-developing skills, industry knowledge and confidence to pursue a career as a Site Manager or Customer Service Manager.

J Tomlinson, which provides a range of integrated building solutions including construction, refurbishment, repairs and maintenance, mechanical and electrical services (M&E), and facilities management, and which works primarily across the East Midlands, West Midlands and Yorkshire, has a number of roles throughout the business at a range of levels, from apprenticeships to fully-qualified positions.

Visit www.jtomlinson.co.uk/careers to view the latest opportunities across the business.

Image credit: Peter Alvey