The LCL Awards’ 2026 Trainee of the Year trophy has gone to Carly Gayle, a candidate of Staffordshire Training Services. Carly impressed the judges with her commitment to progressing in the building services sector and support of fellow trainees and received her certificate, trophy and Testo testing equipment goody bag from LCL Awards director, Mark Krull.
With over 20 years’ experience in the sector, starting off helping her gas engineer father on the weekends as a teenager, Carly completed a plumbing and heating apprenticeship after school and then went on to run her own business. Keen to future-proof her career, Carly recently completed LCL Awards’ F-gas course in Staffordshire, which was funded by Enterprise Cheshire and Warrington’s Women in Skills Bootcamp, and now works as a field services engineer for Baxi.
As one of Baxi’s newest F-Gas engineers, Carly works on the company’s heat pump range, supporting the roll out of low carbon heating and cooling. She says: “I am deeply grateful to receive this award and truly appreciate the recognition for expanding my expertise into this new area. I am eager to learn and adapt as much as possible for the industries transition into renewable energy. I’m looking forward to seeing where the rest of my career takes me!”
Mark Krull, director for LCL Awards, adds: “I was delighted to present Carly with the 2026 ‘Trainee of the Year’ prize. A deserving winner, she demonstrates exactly what it takes to succeed in our sector and is a great representative for women in the trades; a group that is still extremely under-represented. Staffordshire Training Services go above and beyond with their support of learners – the centre also won the top spot in our ‘Inclusivity’ category thanks to its commitment to ensuring a welcoming and supportive learning environment for candidates from all walks of life.”
