Skydiving enthusiast Sonny scales new heights on HNC Construction course
Skydiving “adrenaline junkie” Sonny Dalton-Milliken has hit new heights after securing Distinction grades throughout his HNC in Construction Management course with York College University Centre.
Sonny, 31, was presented with the Institute of Technology Outstanding Achievement Award at our University Centre Graduation Ceremony in York Minster last month.
Used to reaching for the sky, having completed close to 900 jumps after qualifying as a sky-diving instructor in New Zealand during eight years of travelling following his A Levels, Sonny excelled when he returned to education to study the work-based qualification with the support of his employer Portakabin.
The HNC in Construction Management, which is an Institute of Technology programme, is a two-year, part-time day release course for people employed in the construction industry.
Its units are designed to meet the needs of the profession, ensuring that learners gain the skills that employers want, whilst employers can be confident that learners have the knowledge and behaviours required for specialist roles.
Sonny returned to Sim Balk Lane a decade on from studying his A Levels at York College and admitted: “It took a while to adjust and sink back into it, but it feels great to have graduated. The two years of hard work I’ve put in have paid off and I’m really pleased I’ve done it.”
Initially intending to explore the world on a gap year as a teenager, Sonny decided to carry on travelling for eight years, spending time in Australia and Asia, whilst also working winter seasons in the French Alps and summer seasons in Ibiza.
He still dipped into education with his Level 5 Diploma in Commercial Skydiving earning him an instructor licence and, when his feet touched back down on these shores, he secured a job with Portakabin, where he now works as a Project Planner.
“I decided to take the opportunity to enrol onto the HNC in Construction Management course because of the sector I’m working in,” Sonny explained. “I already had experience of working in the construction industry and the course was tailored to my role.
“The main reason for choosing a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subject was because of the industry I work in and as a way to progress. I feel like this course has put me in good stead for project management in the future.”
On his experience as a returning College student 10 years after leaving Campus and the skills and knowledge he acquired on the Higher Technical Qualification, Sonny added: “I met a great group of people and the tutors were really helpful and friendly. All the facilities were good and I had everything I needed to learn.
“Working on the assignments has really helped strengthen my knowledge and I picked up some good things in the project management modules. We did a technical module where we used CAD (Computer-Aided Design) and Revit.
“Learning how to use Revit helped because I’ve since started using this tool at Portakabin. We looked at health and safety and the laws within it that are important for working in construction and I enjoyed the surveying modules. They were really interesting and, even though I don’t think I’ll go into that specialism, it’s good to know and have an understanding of it.”
While thriving in his nine-to-five career with Portakabin, self-confessed “adrenaline junky” Sonny is still parachuting at weekends.
He is also considering stunt work outside of his day job, having worked as an acting extra on films and TV shows such as Wonder Woman and All Creatures Great and Small and even meeting former James Bond Pierce Brosnan at one point.
“I enjoy that parachuting is different and, as dangerous as skydiving might seem, it’s actually very safe,” Sonny pointed out. “I’ve had injuries doing snowboarding though. You often see people being stretchered off the mountains and I’ve broke my back and separated my shoulder on separate occasions.
“I’ve got the skills to potentially go into stunt work. This idea got the cogs turning, especially when I heard how much they get paid!”
Sonny is also looking forward to what the future might hold with Portakabin.
“They are a great company to work for and really look after you,” he enthused. “I’ve got my eye on doing a CMI Leadership & Management course which is a Level 5. I’d like to get into management roles in the future and this course would help me to prepare for that.”
York College University Centre tutor Andrew Pulleyn, who nominated Sonny for the Outstanding Achievement Award, described him as an “outstanding student” and declared: “Sonny has achieved Distinction grades throughout both years of study, all whilst balancing an extremely busy work schedule.”
Mark Gibson, Director of the Yorkshire & Humber Institute of Technology (YHIoT) who sponsored the award, added: "It's great to see York College University Centre awarding so many students for their fantastic work on their Higher Education courses. We're proud to have supported the Institute of Technology Outstanding Achievement Award and send our congratulations to Sonny.
"It's so important that we deliver tech-driven education which gives students the STEM-based skills that are needed in our region. These graduates are equipped with the skills they need to thrive in a technology-driven world and all have a promising future ahead of them."
For more information on the HNC in Construction Management course at York College University Centre, click here.
For more information on the Yorkshire & Humber Institute of Technology, click here.
