A dad-of-three has successfully completed a second degree, returning to university after studying in Pakistan a decade ago.

Zain Ul Abdin moved to Haslingden after originally studying telecommunication engineering at a university in Pakistan.

He wanted to pursue a career in the field of science and technology but his personal circumstances meant he had to delay his future studies.

During those seven years, he never gave up on his dream to study software engineering at UCLan and he is now delighted to be graduating.

The 35-year-old said: “I feel very excited, motivated and confident to be a graduate.

"I came back to studying as I enjoyed coding and wanted to learn more. Now I believe this degree will open doors of opportunities for me.”

While studying full-time on the three-year degree course, Zain has held down a supervisor’s position at Lidl and is raising three sons, Mohammad, nine, Amaan, eight, and Musa, five, with his wife Rehana.

Zain said: “Time management was the biggest issue for me. Sometimes I felt I should have 48 hours in a day.

“When I started the course, my eldest son had just turned seven. Studying full-time with three kids was difficult.

"I had to manage time for study, work and most important of all for my wife and kids.”

Now having completed his degree, Zain is hopeful it will lead to further career opportunities.

He added: “My next step is to get in a tech role where I can demonstrate my skills and knowledge which I gained from this course and build my career.”