From a construction labourer to PhD: Andrew’s unconventional journey through higher education

When Andrew Ayres left school at 16, university wasn’t even on his radar.

“I tried AS-levels but they weren’t for me at the time,” he said, and, instead, took a job collecting glasses in a pub in Port Talbot. By the age of 20 he was the pub’s general manager.

Having worked in the pub until his early 20s, Andrew decided it was time for a change of career and followed in the footsteps of father and grandfather, both carpenters, and moved into the world of construction, initially starting as a construction site labourer, before later starting his carpentry apprenticeship with Clockwork Carpentry.

And it was while doing that job that Andrew started asking questions which would eventually take him to a PhD.

“I was working on a large timber frame project when something clicked,” he said. “I kept thinking, ‘how do we know this thing won’t collapse?’. I could build it, sure - but I wanted to understand the science behind it. Engineering is the next step to that and what drew me to it – having the technical understanding of the subject.”

That curiosity led Andrew, when he was 24, to look at a possible career in structural engineering. However, without A-levels, he couldn’t take the traditional route into university - but didn’t let that stop him.

“I got in touch with the University of South Wales (USW) to apply for the HND and explained about my fascination with the subject, and talked about my experience and what I’d learned on the job,” he said.

Having started his HND in 2005, Andrew was later able to transfer onto the degree course and, in 2009, he graduated with a Bachelor of Sciences in civil construction and engineering.

His fascination with the subject didn’t, however, stop there. After completing his degree, he secured a place on the graduate scheme with infrastructure firm Costain, which agreed to sponsor Andrew to undertake his Masters part-time in the same subject as his degree, whilst working for the company.

But the course wasn’t a straight-forward matter of working and studying, it was also quite a challenge for Andrew.

“I relocated to London as part of my job with Costain, but was still studying in South Wales for the last two years of my four-year Masters,” he said.

“I didn’t have a car, so I’d get the National Express most Thursday evenings and stay at a friend’s house overnight, before going to uni all day Friday, then head back to London. I did that for two years. It was exhausting—but I was determined.”.

Then, in 2019, Andrew secured an ESF-funded KESS PhD scholarship in low-carbon concrete, supported by both USW and Costain.

His research, conducted in collaboration with a company called Sika, focused on  developing a sustainable concrete mix design.

“I developed a lower-carbon alkali activator, derived from industrial waste, which reduced embodied carbon by up to 50% in comparison with the commercially available solution.” he said.

Andrew is now looking to continue with his research and explore new collaborative opportunities to  pilot trial the low-carbon technology with various industry partners.
For Andrew , completing his PhD was a major challenge, but something he knew would be worth it.

“We had a baby, we were living in a house that was basically a construction site, I was teaching part-time, and trying to finish my PhD. It was probably the most stressful time of my life,” he said.

“But, the key for me which kept me motivated over the years, was following my passion. I never had a grand plan. I just did what I enjoyed and gave it everything I had.”

Building on his construction and technical experience achieved throughout his career, Andrew recently started his new role in Costain as a Senior Decarbonisation Consultant. His role primarily focuses on influencing early design and delivery decisions using PAS 2080 principles, challenging overdesign, and promoting constructible, low-carbon solutions.