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1," lower than it used to be. "If we look at the best people studying chemistry they all want to read medicine now," he notes.
THE REPORT made six basic recommendations, with target dates for action rangingfromthe end of this year to the middle of2006. • Cogent, working with industry through the Skills Network Group, should develop case studiesfromexemplary comPATRICIA L. SHORT, C&EN LONDON panies to quantify the benefits of training to companies' bottom lines. • CLC, on behalfofthe chemical induschemical industryworkforce—"upskilling" T SEEMS OBVIOUS: HAVING A HIGHLY skilled workforce is crucial to the suc- as the report calls it—is "a major challenge try should support Cogent with the clear proviso that Cogent increase the resources cess of the chemistry-using industries. for the industry" But how to ensure a continuing supply Moreover, the report notes, there is a it devotes to the chemical industry Cogent ofskilled workers is not so obvious.That sharp decline in the number of students must then ensure that there is a compreis why the Skills Network Group of the studying chemistry and the chemical sci- hensive "road map" setting out the indusUK's Chemistry Leadership Council (CLQ ences. "For an industry that relies on in- try's future skills needs and the mechanisms tackled the subject in its new report, "Skills novation to deliver added value, this is of by which these needs will be met. for the 21st Century Chemicals Industry" real concern," the report says, adding that • Cogent should develop a "gold stanAnd although the report is written for the the decline in students is directly affect- dard" that covers the skills needs associatUK., it addresses concerns felt throughout ing university chemistry courses. ed with sustainable development, producthe European chemical industry Even in top-tier universities, concern is tivity and innovation, with special focus on According to Garethjames, who r r r r r r 0 upskilling. Cogent should clearly art j ticulate the specific skills and comchairs the skills network, the group's petencies needed, as well as the rework does not stop with the publisources required to achieve them. cation of the report. The report, he Companies and training providers notes, "has laid out the industry's should then work together to deagendamore clearly—nowit needs liver accredited training programs. to be carried forward" by the counAnd Cogent should seek to pertry's "chemistry-using industries." The group, he adds, uses that phrase suade the government to align fundin an effort to create a much wider ing with accredited qualifications understanding of the chemical inunder the banner of the gold standustry's key role in supplying many dard for the industry other industries. "We have to get • CLC must publicly support a the linkage through," he says. more diverse workforce in the chemical industry and encourage The report carries a set of recall stakeholders to set the business ommendations to two groups that case for diversity in the workplace, are essential for a sustainable future, l b support this leadership, Cogent James says. One is the industry itand the unions should work with self, which, he points out, must bethe appropriate agencies to develop come more effective in speaking clear guidance on the development with a coherent, single voice in setting out future needs. The other of an inclusive culture for the ingroup is Cogent, the employer-led dustry Individual companies should skills council set up by the governpositively embrace this inclusive ment to act for chemicals, polymers, culture and formally commit to putoil and gas, and nuclear industries. ting the guidance into practice. The report points out that "the • CLC needs to issue clear chemicals industry has significant statements on the breadth of opskills gaps at both plant operator portunities offered by the chemiand {college} graduate levels. It is STARTING POINT An important step in maintaining cal industry in the 21st century It likely that in 10 years' time it will a skilled workforce for the chemical industry is needs to work with teachers' orneed fewer but more highly skilled attracting young students to the sciences. ganizations to formulate advice to and technology-literate employees government on how to encourage who will be expected to operate more flex- developing, says Graham Richards, chair- the best students to follow a career in the ibly and across existing skills boundaries. man ofthe department ofchemistry at Oxchemical sciences and engineering. MoreBut at present, the industry has too few ford University Oxford has maintained its over, CLC needs to articulate to universipeople trained and working to a minimum yearly student enrollment, he says, "but the ties exactly what the industry is looking standard." Improving the skills of the ratio of applicants to places is about 1.5 to for in university degree and postgraduate
U.K. skills report picks out needs echoed by other European countries
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courses in chemistry, the chemical sciences, and engineering, as well as changes that need to be made. • CLC should work with the industry to identify future science, engineering, and technology needs as well as the associated competences needed. Results should be articulated to government and professional bodies—for example, to the Royal Society for Chemistry and the Institution ofChemical Engineers—to influence the content ofchemical science, engineering, and technology education. They should then be incorporated into the gold standard.
of indirect and direct employment at a relatively high level." Consequently, she says, "on behalf of its members, VNCI is negotiating with the regular and technical universities and schools for higher vocational education concerning the skills set needed by young graduates who want to work in the industry We are in discussion with government representatives and politicians concerning these issues as well.,, There are already several results. For example, VNCI has launched initiatives to improve a program combining work and study on several levels,fromschools for vocational education up to the Ph.D. level. SOME OF THE points mirror actions being VNCI is developing an applied sciences taken elsewhere in Europe. For example, doctoral program at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, where adrop-offin the and a dual course in chemistry and chemnumber of students in chemistry has been ical engineering at Eindhoven University ringing alarm bells for severalyears, the As- of Technology Moreover, the association sociation of the Dutch Chemical Indus- awards scholarships to promising science try (VNCI) is already taking a number of students entering university actions. "We also put a lot of effort into proAs VNCFs training specialist Fennegien moting the chemical industry as a very inBrouwer-Keij, manager for education and teresting and well-paid business full of caresearch, points out, "like other countries, reer opportunities," Brouwer-Keij adds. the chemical industry in the Netherlands For example, "this year we are promoting, needs a highly skilled staff and is a source for the second time, the chemical work-
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ingfieldat the national education fair for high school students," in cooperation with universities and members ofVNCI. And at least twice a year, she adds, VNCI organizes a"meet theboss"between the chief executive of a chemical company and chemistry students at local high schools. Students and bosses have the opportunity, she observes, to discuss the value of chemistry and the chemical industry Pinpointing the need for highly skilled staff is becoming increasingly important, she says. VNCI will soon start researching and monitoring the chemical industry's labor-market needs in cooperation with the Dutch Society of Chemistry and the Research Centre for Education & the Labour Market at Maastricht University Eventually, though, solving the industry's problems will be the job of all stakeholders. As Barry Stickings, chairman of CLC and chairman of BASF in the U.K., puts it, the CLC report "presents clear challenges to our industries, to the Sector Skills Councils, to government, and to the Chemistry Leadership Council itself. We all need to work together to deliver these recommendations." •
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