JTL’s National MES Apprentice of the Year for 2018, Dale Turner who works for Kier North Tyneside – a joint venture between leading construction services group Kier and North Tyneside Council to provide construction, repair and maintenance services for the region’s council homes and public buildings – has been shortlisted in the prestigious H&V News Awards 2019 in the Apprentice of the Year (over 21) category.

The H&V News Awards are known as the ’Oscars’ of the heating and ventilating sector and winning one of these awards is amongst the most sought after things in the industry. The awards will be presented at a glittering dinner attended by all the great and the good of the heating and ventilating industry at the Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane in London on Thursday 25^th April.

Turner was nominated by JTL in recognition of his achievements with JTL during his apprenticeship. With A’ Levels in Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Psychology, he decided he wanted to become an apprentice but struggled to find a position. Eventually he applied for an administrative role in order to get a foot in the door at Kier. His strategy proved successful and as soon as an apprenticeship became available, he was snapped up. Outside work, Turner volunteers for national homeless charity, Crisis.

JTL Training Officer, Ian Ramsey, who assisted him throughout his apprenticeship, comments: “Dale is a determined and intelligent individual who was a model apprentice to mentor and is destined to succeed in life”.

JTL Chief Executive Jon Graham said: “We’re right behind Dale in this award. It’s a real achievement to get shortlisted for an H&V News Award and we all have our fingers crossed that he will win on the night. To be awarded the JTL National Apprentice of the Year in the heating and plumbing side of our business is quite an achievement – he was one of over 1600 apprentices at JTL that could have won that title – but to go on to be down to the last two at a national awards event like this is spectacular and he should be very proud.”