A former bricklayer has cemented the foundations for a career in construction having graduated with a first-class degree in quantity surveying.

Daniel Parkinson, 30, from Longridge, who graduated from the University of Central Lancashire, achieved his educational goal while working full-time as a quantity surveyor for Balfour Beatty at Sellafield Ltd, West Cumbria.

The former St Cecilia RC High School and Preston College student also saw the birth of his two children while studying the course.

Daniel said: "If you had told the 15-year-old me who left school ready to start his first apprenticeship in bricklaying, that 15 years later I would be graduating from university with a first-class degree in quantity surveying, I would never have believed it.

"I am genuinely passionate about construction.

"Over the years I’ve had a great grounding ‘on the tools’ but now I’m proud to graduate with this qualification and hopefully I can be an example for others to show that hard work pays off."

During his BSc Quantity Surveying, Daniel juggling a hectic personal and professional life which involved working away from home and starting a family at the same time.

The proud father added: “My son was born a day before one of my exams and my daughter arrived two and a half years later, just as I’d finished the course.

"It’s been a very busy few years for me, with a lot of late and sleepless nights but it’s all been worth it in the end."

Daniel’s educational journey is not over as he is now working towards his ambition of becoming a Chartered Quantity Surveyor.