A council staff member who stumbled into a career in building control after a family bereavement has won a national award.

Jarred Parisi of Ely came into building control at East Cambridgeshire District Council after a family bereavement in 2015.

Since working part-time, the 23-year-old took on an administration role and began to grow an interest for what building control entailed.

For his work, Jarred was nominated for the Local Authority Building Control’s (LABC) newcomer of the year award at a ceremony in London by building control team leader Craig Smith.

“It is an honour to be the winner of the LABC newcomer of the year award, particularly because it is awarded by esteemed people connected to the industry,” said Jarred.

“Winning the award means a lot to me because it shows that hard work does pay off.”

After becoming more interested in building control, such as scanning plans, Jarred was engaged with what surveyors were discussing.

He then successfully applied for an apprentice surveyor role, before enrolling onto an apprentice surveyor degree programme in 2019.

Jarred, who won the East Anglian regional final in October, impressed judges at the national awards night who praised his commitment to learning and his approach to site visits.

“We’re all so pleased for Jarred,” said Mr Smith.

“I’ve only been in post for about a year but even in this short period of time, Jarred’s willingness to get stuck in and help out the team has impressed me greatly.

“He wants to learn and progress and hopefully, the recognition he’s received will act as an indication he’s on the right path.”

Over 4,500 people are employed by LABC, which is made up of over 330 local authorities across England and Wales.

Part of Jarred’s role in building control also includes conducting plan checks on projects and regularly going on site to inspect different developments.

And from the time he applied for a surveyor role, he has never looked back.

“You see a variety of different buildings and the way they are constructed, and I like that I’m not stuck behind a desk all the time,” Jarred said.

“No two days are the same in building control and you are always helping people, which is probably my favourite part of the job.”