ADD ADVICE TO FAVChemical engineering
Process engineering, environmental protection and tissue engineering – these are just some examples of the projects chemical engineers and involved in.
The future is bright for chemical engineers. They’re more in demand than ever before, their skills are widely recognised and the rewards are excellent. ’The intake to first degree courses continues to climb and graduates can expect to secure highly competitive salaries,’ says Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) Director, Andrew Furlong.
Where do chemical engineers work?
The graduate training schemes of big chemical companies such as ICI, Du Pont and BASF are obvious destinations for graduates, but many are pursuing careers in industries as diverse as petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, food and drink, tissue engineering, oil and gas, and cosmetics.
Chemical engineering has opens many career paths across industry, commerce and finance, partly because employers appreciate that chemical engineering graduates have analytical, project-management and problem-solving skills.
IChemE has set up the Accredited Company Training Scheme initiative which helps graduates to achieve chartered status as quickly as possible. By choosing the right employer, trainees can ensure that they will benefit from the kind of high-quality experience that will be recognised by the Institution.
What kind of work do graduate chemical engineers do?
Chemical engineers have many routes open to them. Some become process engineers, designing and commissioning a plant to manufacture a new product. Here academic skills need to be backed up by solid business and financial management.
Others choose to work in environmental engineering, developing practical solutions to global challenges such as pollution, waste disposal and water purification. Chemical engineers are working, for example, to reduce the high environmental impact of steel production by lessening its reliance on fossil fuels – a vital sustainability issue.
Still other chemical engineers find themselves working to provide water for communities in the developing world. A career in chemical engineering can turn you into a globetrotter – you’ll be in demand for projects around the world.
Chemical engineering graduate job descriptions
Skills for chemical engineering
If a career in chemical engineering is for you, you’ll need to be happy as part of a team and have excellent problem-solving and analytical skills to overcome stiff challenges. You’ll also need to be highly IT-literate.
Graduate chemical engineering salaries
Chemical engineering may be demanding, but you will be rewarded. The latest salary survey from IChemE shows that chemical engineering is still the best paid of all the main engineering disciplines –average earnings for chartered chemical engineers exceed £53,000.
The oil industry is the most lucrative (salaries average £70,000), followed by contracting and consultancy work. Pay in the power sector is also booming.
Professional bodies for chemical engineering
IChemE is the professional body for chemical, biochemical and process engineers. IChemE’s careers website for students – www.whynotchemeng.com – is packed with information on the role of a chemical engineer and the exciting opportunities if offers, while the main website gives full details of your route to achieving chartered status.
