EP caught up with Kent Psychology student Andrea Lau who has been completing a work experience opportunity with the charity Dads Unlimited
Dads Unlimited is a charity based in Ashford, committed to supporting the emotional safety of men and those they care about through three key areas; supporting male victims of domestic abuse, supporting men with family separation; and supporting men’s mental health. They are a recent addition as a sponsor to the EP scheme, building on the opportunities available in the not-for-profit sector, and offered an excellent work experience opportunity to Kent students in research.
Andrea Lau, an undergraduate student in Psychology, was successful in securing the opportunity with them, after spending two years building up her Employability Points. She really enjoyed working in the friendly and rewarding environment at Dads Unlimited, and was keen to highlight how much she was able to develop her knowledge and skills through being involved in a research project investigating male mental health:
“The placement was an opportunity to understand challenges men face when seeking support. I have always learnt about gender bias in mental well-being from my degree, but this exposure really enhanced my knowledge. It made me re-evaluate how I see men’s mental health, and also motivated me to think about ways to improve the situation so that men can seek support more easily.”
Tristan Tutt, the Operations Director at Dads Unlimited, has been supporting Andrea’s work whilst she has been with them. He believes it is important to support students in the local area, particularly when they have an interest in their work as they provide vital support to the team and can bring a different insight to their work. Tristan commented that Andrea fitted in well with the team and that her thinking and planning skills were excellent – it was a pleasure to have her. The research and data evaluation that she did has left them with plenty of insight into trends on the barriers and issues faced in men’s mental health, and they passed on a huge thank you for all of the work that Andrea has done.
Andrea would certainly encourage future students to get involved with the EP scheme:
“The scheme helps build different skills needed for career development. Picking an organisation that the student is most interested in is essential too, as it is important for the skills and experience to contribute directly towards future career goals.”
Find out more about the employers that offer rewards on the scheme on our website and think about which ones you are most interested in applying for – but don’t forget to build up your Employability Points first!
Take a look at Dads Unlimited website to find out more about the charity.