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Chemical engineers develop ways to turn raw materials into everyday products.
You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; on shifts
As a chemical engineer in research and development, you could;test new ways to develop products in the lab, like biofuels; use computer modelling to investigate cost-effective and environmentally friendly production methods; plan how to turn lab research into pilot production, then large-scale processing; develop methods to deal safely with by-products and waste materials
In manufacturing, you could:
You may need to wear protective clothing.
You could work in a laboratory, at a manufacturing plant or in an office.
Your working environment may be outdoors some of the time.
You can get into this job through:
You can do a degree or postgraduate qualification accredited by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE).
Subjects include:
You may be able to do a postgraduate conversion course if you have a degree in a related area like engineering, chemistry or polymer science.
Many courses include work placements which can give you valuable experience of working in the industry.
Some universities offer a foundation year for people without qualifications in maths and science, which allows them to move onto the degree course afterwards.
You'll usually need:
You could apply to do a Science Industry Process Engineer Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship.
This takes around 5 years to complete and combines learning on the job and time spent with a training provider.
You'll usually need:
You could join a company as a chemical engineering technician and do training on the job to qualify as an engineer.
You can join IChemE for professional development opportunities.
You can find more details about how to become a chemical engineer from IChemE.
Chemical engineers can be found working in many different sectors, including:pharmaceuticals; energy production; food and drink manufacturing; environmental engineering
With experience, you could become a senior process or design engineer, or research and development manager.
You might go on to be a plant manager or overall operations manager.
You could also work towards chartered engineer status, which gives professional recognition of your skills and expertise in the industry.
You can find more details about careers and training in chemical engineering through the Institution of Chemical Engineers and Whynotchemeng.