September 2009 Archives

By Lara Mcnamee

The Institute of International Education - a provider of scholarship and education initiatives throughout the world - has named ExxonMobil as the winner of its 2009 Opening Minds Corporate Leadership Award. 

The award is said to recognise ExxonMobil's outstanding global philanthropy, including initiatives that improve the teaching and learning of engineering, technology, maths and science, and the company's support for organisations that seek to improve career opportunities for minorities and women.

Rex Tillerson, chairman and chief executive officer of ExxonMobil, accepted the award on September 23 at the 90th Anniversary International Awards Gala in New York, US.

"ExxonMobil is proud of its partnership with the Institute of International Education, and we are honoured to receive this award," he said.

For more on ExxonMobil click here.

German specialty producer LANXESS has continued its efforts to develop a presence in Russia by signing a cooperative research agreement with the Russian Academy of Science.

Not only will they exchange information on scientific trends and research but they also intend to collaborate on projects.

"This cooperation clearly underlines our company's long-term approach to the Russian market and will contribute strongly to our innovation-driven product strategy," says Werner Breuers, Member of the Board of Management of LANXESS.

By Lara Mcnamee

ExxonMobil is increasing its investment in maths and science education through a partnership with Sally Ride, the first American woman to travel in to space.

The Sally Ride Science Academy brought to you by ExxonMobil aims to encourage student interest in maths and science education though curriculum augmentation, programs to make maths and science more relevant, constructive feedback skills training and tools to promote careers in maths and science.
 
ExxonMobil chairman and chief executive officer, Rex Tillerson says: "ExxonMobil's long-time involvement with education and Sally Ride's passion for maths and science complement each other perfectly.

"Together we share the goal of preparing young people, particularly young girls, for careers in science, technology, engineering and maths."
 
For more on ExxonMobil, click here.
 

Read Ursula Burns' view on women, chemical engineering, and science as women rise up the ranks of major American corporations.

A must for all female students considering an engineering/science career.

BP - one of the world's largest traders of oil and gas - and its Integrated Supply and Trading (IST) arm in Singapore is looking for new recruits.

IST Global Oil Eastern Hemisphere's Trader Development Programme (TDP) lasts for two- to three-years.

Successful candidates are likely to spend a year in a trading analyst role and another working in operations, allowing them to gain valuable experience across a number of IST businesses.

The scheme culminates in the opportunity to attend the Assessed Trader Course, where the company will assess candidates' potential to move into a trading role.

Interested? You had better be quick; the deadline for applications is 30 September.

It's been half a century since Air Products' founder Leonard Pool launched an initiative to recruit and train college graduates so they could "take a more important part in the affairs of the company".

The Career Development Program is still going strong and to mark the milestone, the company has launched a new website showcasing participants from past and present, including Air Products Chairman, president and CEO John McGlade.

"The Air Products Career Development Program is a significant differentiator for us as we look for the best talent in the world," says McGlade. "And for the individuals who join us, the program allows them to understand the company, develop their careers and be significant contributors to our success. It's a win-win for the entire company."

To find out more about the scheme, click here. 

Hear about our plans for the new education and recruitment campaign on our weekly ICIS Chemical Business podcast. The latest episode is now available.

Find out about the idea behind the campaign and what we hope to achieve during the year-long initiative. Click here to hear more... and feel free to leave your comments.

Abu Dhabi Men's College have welcomed back 11 chemical engineering students who went to Japan for hands-on training and experience.

The students visited several Japanese companies including Cosmo Oil, Toshiba, Nissan and some oil and sewage refineries in Tokyo and Osaka.

Twenty engineering students also spent 5 days in Dresden, Germany, where training varied between applied technology in companies such as Volkswagen and other heavy industries, and attending several industrial and economic lectures in universities.

The Carroll County Training Consortium in Madison, Indiana, US, is offering full-tuition scholarships for adults students in engineering and chemical technology.

Students will be able to attend Jefferson Community and Technical College in Carrollton.

Major US producers Dow Corning and Arkema Chemical are both members of the Training Consortium.

Applications must be made by November 20.

During Lanxess' centennial synthetic rubber celebration in Cologne, Germany last week, the Recruitment Blog was able to interview graduate student Andrew Heidenreich who is currently taking up PhD in polymer science from the University of Akron in Ohio.

Hear what he has to say about students in chemistry and his advice on how the chemical industry should encourage today's young generation in entering the science field.

French specialty firm Rhodia ensured that three high school students had no problem filling their time during their summer vacation by giving them valuable experience in the chemical sector as part of a research program.

Dubbed Project SEED and co-sponsored by Rhodia and the American Chemical Society, the selected students were given the opportunity to work alongside chemists on various research and development projects.

Imari Mack, 17, and 18-year-old Patrice Jackson of Bristol Borough, Pennsylvania, and Arsalan Khan, 18, of Burlington, New Jersey, carried out various experiments as research interns at the Rhodia Inc. chemistry labs in Bristol.

Bristol High School senior Mack was looking at the viscosity of polymers - the research helping to fine-tune new products for shampoo and body wash manufacturers. Next year, she plans to attend college and major in chemistry.

Patrice Jackson - who will be a senior at Bristol Middle-High School - analyzed alumina coatings for automotive catalytic converters

Meanwhile, Arsalan Khan is pursuing a chemical engineering degree at Rutgers University. He was an intern last summer after his junior year at Burlington Township High School. Khan then graduated a semester early from his senior year, began college classes in spring 2009 and returned to Rhodia over the summer to continue agrochemical research.

"It was eye opening," says Khan. "Learning how to use sophisticated lab equipment and understanding how it enhances my analytical capabilities was incredible. With that experience under my belt, I feel really confident in my college chemistry classes."

Too few young people pursue a career in the chemical industry. In the latest issue of ICIS Chemical Business, we start to investigate the reasons why, and launch our education and recruitment campaign.

The promise of lucrative salaries, global travel, decent long-term prospects and the chance to make a difference to the world just don't seem to attract enough recruits to the ageing chemical sector.

On the face of it, a career in chemicals should have widespread appeal: the benefits are many and varied, and - particularly important in the current economic climate - job security is typically pretty good. Wages also compare favorably with other industries, often taking a top spot in surveys.

For decades, the industry has been blighted by a negative public image, and even though things are improving, many students still do not see this sector as an attractive career choice.

However, it appears that the credit crisis may not be completely bad news for the industry; there are signs that graduate ­chemical engineers are no longer migrating to the potentially more lucrative sectors of IT and finance, instead deciding to concentrate on their core discipline.

There have indeed been efforts over the past few years to target youngsters through schools and colleges to encourage them to make this their chosen vocation. Career fairs and campus recruitment are among the initiatives that have been introduced.

But is this enough? Is the industry doing enough to convince prospective employees that this is an exciting sector with competitive salaries and superb career progression opportunities?

Let us know your views.

To read the full article, click here.

By Lara Mcnamee

Plans have been announced for a new £30m state-of-the-art facility for the School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science at the UK's University of Manchester.
 
The proposed five-storey building will accommodate research facilities and teaching laboratories for post graduates and undergraduates, as well as enquiry based learning facilities and academic offices.

Professor Mike Sutcliffe, Head of the School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science said: "The recent Research Assessment Exercise confirmed Manchester's position as one of a small group of elite Chemical Engineering departments within the UK.

"Our success capitalises on the synergies between chemical engineering and bioscience, chemistry, mathematics, and analytical and measurement science. Our broad research base enables us to study the design, operation and integration of different complex systems, particularly industrial, biological, and instrumentation, and apply chemical engineering in a 21st century context.
 

Despite the tough market conditions, German fertilizer major K+S has hired 190 new trainees.

The Kassel-based producer says that the hiring of trainees - often also referred to as "Lehrlinge" or apprentices - was an investment in the future and a commitment to Germany as a production site.

Including the 190 new hires, K+S now has 650 trainees on its staff, up 7% from 2008.

Trainees are usually hired directly after high school, at ages 16-18 and without any work experience. A traineeship typically lasts 2-4 years.

To read the full story, click here.

The University of California in Riverside, US, has set up a new graduate training program in materials science and engineering (MSE).

The MSE program, which will move into a new $56m facility in 2010, will focus on nanotechnology, energy generation and conversion, and environmentally friendly technologies.

The college said that an important feature of the program is that students will get complete engineering training with a specialization of their choice, preparing them for the broadest career possibilities.

Applications are being accepted now.

 

Africa's NextEinstein Initiative, a donor-funded program that provides postgraduate training in mathematics and computing skills to top African students, is expanding.

A second African Institute for Mathematical Sciences will be established in Senegal in 2011, followed by institutes in Ethiopia and Ghana.

In total 15 institutes are planned across Africa in the next 10 years in a bid to encourage the brightest students to work in science, technology, industry and government, and to prevent the brain drain where 90% of African mathematicians who obtain PhD's outside the country do not return.

View the article here.

Read here an interview with Phil Jones, chief executive of The National Skills Academy Process Industries about the academy's role in setting up a dedicated skills body for the UK pharmaceutical sector.
Jones gives his views on the massive skills shortage in the pharmaceutical sector and how the national skills body will help employers to identify the necessary training and skills needed to boost recruitment and career progression in this sector.