“You can’t always see it, but there’s sunshine on the other side.”

That’s what caretaker Jim Whiskins tells the students at Fircroft College in Birmingham. They’ve been lucky enough to feel the warmth of Jim’s words of wisdom for 23 years.

Jim arrived at the college as a student himself. He’d been made redundant from his job as an engineer and enrolled in a one-year access course with the aim of going on to university and becoming a schoolteacher.

As it turns out, Jim never left Fircroft - he took a job as the college’s caretaker, and quickly became a caregiver, too.

You see, he did so much more than set alarms, rake leaves and deal with leaky roofs - he changed lives with his care, advice and understanding.

Jim made such a difference, in fact, that at the start of 2019, he earned himself a place on the New Year’s Honours List and is now the proud owner of a British Empire Medal for his services to student pastoral care.

“When I got that letter, and I read what I got it for, I felt very moved. I was a bit shaken by it in some ways. It was a lovely tribute and an honour and privilege to receive it,” he told Tes, with a tremble in his voice. “That meant a lot to me.”

“You can’t always tell what impact you have on people. So I thought [being named in the New Year’s Honours List] was quite touching. It showed that I not only did caretaking but also perhaps I’ve helped some people. And they’ve helped me, too. It’s been a two-way process,” he said.

So what’s Jim’s secret? Never ask students things, he says - build up trust first and then wait for them to come and tell you.

“You can spot students who are a bit unconfident or shy and you build up some sort of rapport with them,” he says.