As a sector that encompasses such a vast range of disciplines, a sustainable, highly skilled workforce is critical to the future of the chemical industry. Tim Doggett, CEO of the Chemical Business Association (CBA) and Dr. Chrystelle Egger, Senior Lecturer in Chemical Sciences at Keele University, explore the future of education, careers outreach and training in the chemical sector.
Workforce challenges
The chemical industry is one of the most important and diverse industries in the world and the UK chemical industry has an ambition to be the country’s leading manufacturing exporter, raising its contribution to the economy by 50%, to £300 billion, by 2030. With such a highly complex global chemical supply chain, this can only happen if the industry has the right people with the right skills to take advantage of the opportunitiesi.
It has been widely reported that many industries are suffering from an acute shortage of workers and while there is not necessarily an urgent issue in the chemical supply chain, there is an increasing ‘war on talent’, as well as other factors that are likely to have an impact such as:
Many experienced members of the workforce approaching retirement and a skills shortage in the cohort that will step into their roles
A lack of awareness of the career opportunities that exist
Negative perceptions of the chemical supply chain dissuading potential recruits
The rapid increase in emerging technologies constantly requiring new skills
It is estimated there are over 170,000 peopleii working in the UK chemical sector, employing individuals from a broad range of educational backgrounds, including highly trained personnel who develop innovative approaches to delivering new products and technologies. However, despite average sector earnings being 50% higher than the national averageiii, the percentage of graduates in the UK has not increased since the 1960siv, causing a persistent workforce issue that has reduced the sector’s skills horizon. Indeed, the recent levelling-off of the sector’s productivityv has been directly linked to the growing complexity of the skillset the chemical industry requires.
The Chemical Supply Chain
The chemical industry is reliant on the chemical supply chain, and the people that work within it are its greatest asset: a highly talented, skilled, knowledgeable and experienced global workforce. It is essential action is taken to ensure a sustainable pipeline of skilled employees is nurtured. By doing so, the chemical industry will be able to continue innovating and growing. It is with this in mind that the CBA has made it an integral part of its mission to establish the chemical supply chain as an employer of choice.
The UK government, in response, has implemented an employer-led educational agenda, which has seen new approaches to apprenticeships, the launching of Institutes of Technology and the introduction of T-level qualifications. Furthermore, to ensure the industry has a constant pipeline of skills in the future, large chemical organisations, like the CBA and other Trade Associations that make up the Alliance of Chemical Associations (ACA), continue to work closely together, and in partnership with government departments, as well as various academic establishments, including UK universities, skills organisations and apprenticeship providersvi.
However, the industry still faces huge training challenges. Besides some of the complex roles needed over the next five years not yet existing, too few students are enrolling on chemistry degrees. Rather than seeing chemistry as a way to solve society’s problems, Gen Z currently perceives it as the cause of many issues such as waste, pollution and intensive pesticide usevii, and is deterred from embarking on Chemistry courses. Effectively countering this perception requires a reinvention of how chemistry is recognised and taught, as well as a different approach to student recruitment.
While one way to increase interest is to include topics such as circular economy in chemistry courses, equipping students with the skills to make a difference, the task of recruiting young people to chemistry programmes is not solely that of Higher Education Institutions (HEI)s. Schools also need a curriculum that helps pupils understand the importance of the chemical industry to the global economy and everyday lives. In addition, how what they are learning can be used to address global and social challenges. Students need to understand that not only scientists, but chemical industry experts and indeed from different disciplines frequently collaborate, bringing knowledge and skills from various fields together for the benefit of the planet.
The chemical supply chain has a wide range of roles and career opportunities, from procurement and production to distribution and quality control. The sector requires the best talent to join the sector and while many may assume this simply involves lab-based work, the sector offers a vast range of career opportunities, including everything from HGV drivers, through to roles in sales, marketing, finance, HR, amongst many others.
A New Approach to Learning and Recruitment
What is required, therefore, is a complete overhaul of academic content based on an integrative approach to problem-solving. Moreover, by engaging with careers advice, as well as academics, in addition to increasing awareness of the diverse roles within the chemical sciences and the different routes into them, there is potential to improve the perception of these disciplines, remove the stigma associated with the industry, and encourage more young people to study them. We need to challenge preconceptions that learning disciplines are separate and move past the “I’m good at maths and science, so I’m not creative” way of thinking. This will change the way we see STEM problems and create a new way of thinking that is engaging, multifaceted and inclusive, with diversity of representation and thought.
The CBA has sought to counter these negative perceptions by introducing several initiatives that challenge current attitudes and raise awareness of the plethora of opportunities within the sector. Targeting both the younger generation and talent from other sectors, these initiatives showcase the chemical supply chain and highlight the vital role it plays in society, the economy and in solving complicated sustainability challenges.
One of these initiatives, the CBA Future Council, established in 2022, comprises young professionals from across the Association’s membership who seek new ways to raise awareness and encourage new talent into the industry. The CBA’s award-winning People & Skills Hub, meanwhile, works with stakeholders, including Government, education partners and members, to highlight the various career paths, training opportunities and support networks within the chemical supply chain.
CBA is highlighting careers in the chemical supply chain and the impact of options at primary and secondary school stages. This needs to feed into the HEI sector for a wider understanding of what new degrees need to look like. Curricula should be revamped and include a multi- and trans-disciplinary approach emphasising problem-solving and team work. New holistic faculties should combine the key sciences – biology, chemistry, and physics – with innovation, enterprise and business, alongside improved employability support, also involving academics and industrialists.
Working in Partnership
A successful partnership between HEIs and industry, supported by the government and The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), is another strategy that has had an impact. While most HEI staff recognise the importance of industry engagement, historically, prior industry experience has been very limited within chemistry departments.
Today, however, industry engagement is enabling collaborative relationships to be established between HEIs and industry partners, and as a result, new opportunities have arisen to enhance course content in a way that develops students’ business skills in areas such as project management, commercial awareness and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). With the goodwill of industry being vital to the success of these partnerships, the participation of the CBA and its 164 members in these collaborations has been invaluable.
Another key requirement for the future of the industry is to foster curiosity, creativity and imagination among today’s learners. The need for these attributes lies everywhere, from Small Medium Sized (SME) businesses to multinationals, during research and when delivering innovation into a process, a production line or the optimisation of a product.
Partnerships between HEIs and industry have the potential to foster creativity, for instance, through student activities centred around problem-solving or processes. Similarly, in apprenticeships, occupational standards should include and encourage curiosity and imagination to ensure future professionals are just as well equipped to innovate as those with academic qualifications.
The CBA’s Generation STEAM initiative was launched to reflect the need for creativity and innovation within the chemical supply chain. Giving young people the opportunity to engage with the industry and learn about the diverse entryways and careers it offers. It also recognises that the chemical supply chain requires not just STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) skills, but also creativity, hence the inclusion of an ‘A’ in STEAM, for Arts, also the value of Attributes such as Attitude, Ambition and Ability.
Generation STEAM is also about making STEM subjects more Appealing. It challenges preconceptions that learning areas are separate, by transcending the current way of thinking and changing the way STEM is perceived. It creates a new, much more positive dynamic, that is both engaging and multifaceted. It is about being inclusive and creating more equity and diversity, making the industry more accessible, by attracting a wider talent pool. It acknowledges that if we only focus on STEM subjects, we risk alienating talented people that may not necessarily consider the sector as a viable career path.
Generation STEAM attracts the broader spectrum of talent the industry needs, especially with the increase in emerging technologies and the rapid evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) also Intelligent Automation.
Overall, partnerships between industry associations, HEIs and other stakeholders, especially when actively supported by Government, are vital to ensuring that future learning is in line with the needs of the industry and of our society, and that the chemical supply chain can attract, recruit and retain the talent it needs to thrive in the decades to come.
REFERENCES:
i (RSC, Nov 2013) ii (Deloitte, 2021)
iii (Cefic – UK, Key Facts, 2023) iv (Rogalski, 2006)
v (McKinsey & Co. 2020) vi (Cefic – UK, Key Facts, 2023)
vii (Scholes 2020)
