The EP team recently caught-up with Kelvin Baffoue Ankrah (School of Bioscience) to find out more about his work shadowing placement in the Microbiology Lab at ADEY.
Kelvin explained that initially started logging points in his first year, as he was volunteering with Kent Union and St. Martin’s Hospital. When he learnt he could gain work experience in recognition of his co-curricular efforts, it proved to be a ‘game changer’. As a result of his efforts, in his first year, Kelvin was rewarded with a 5-day work shadowing placement in the Water Testing Lab at ADEY. (Case study can be viewed here.)
Having enjoyed the experience so much, and having earned more points, Kelvin applied for the Microbiology Lab experience in stage 2. During this placement, Kelvin gained the chance to use the Colony Counter to analyse growth on agar plates, gain an introduction to Microflex equipment, plant bacteria, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia Coli and Legionella to be grown and gain experience using the incubator to store the prepared plates.
Reflecting upon his experience, Kelvin stated that the placement ‘was just incredible’, particularly gaining the chance to work in the newly UKAS accredited lab. As a result of the experience, Kelvin stated that it has ‘opened my eyes on different career paths… Experiencing the effort that goes into each test conducted in the labs and the protocols that needs to be followed to avoid contamination of all kinds is an addition to my knowledge. Moreover, this placement has given me a hands-on opportunity to practise some procedures I would be undertaking during my placement year.’
Reflecting on his experiences with the EP Scheme, Kelvin stated:
“I would encourage students to get involved with other activities on campus which can yield them more Employability points. The scheme has been very supportive of me and they should not hesitate to ask questions regarding any internship advertised by the Team. The best part of completing your degree is also knowing that you had the opportunity to use the resources of the University that opens up career choices and networking for you. More so, get involved with the EP events and the end of year award show if they need some encouragements from other students, to see how far joining the EP scheme has benefited them as well. One last comment; make good use of your points, by applying for the various opportunities at hand from the scheme.”