Career pathways in science

Robert Bowles

Careers Specialist

Royal Society of Chemistry

Careers pathways in science

Careers in science

Vocational routes in chemistry

Apprenticeships

- Current status and future

Professional recognition for non-degree routes

Vocational routes- career resources and informationRSC support and resources

Other STEM subject resources

The Royal Society of Chemistry

World leading chemistry community

52,000 members

UK professional body

The Royal Society of Chemistry

Careers in sciencePhysics

The UK is second only to the USA in space science, studying physics can certainly help land you a job in space.

UK Space industry: worth £9bn annually, employs 30,000 people, growing at 8%

Biology

Pharmaceutical industry changing. Much more SMEs now

• Employs chemistry and biology graduates

• Employs 73,000 people in UK

• Generates a UK trade surplus of £3bn

Environmental jobs

Span many sciences - Env. Science through, biology, ecology, chemistry, geology

Growth sectors:

• Renewable Energy Technologies

• Waste Management

• Environmental Consultancy

• Satellite Technology

Routes into environmental careers

Apprenticeships Advanced

(Level 3) •Access/Recreation Officer

•Ecologist

•Environmental Management Officer

•Social Forester

•Assistant Arboricultural Officer

•Built Environment and Design

Higher (Level 5) •Building & Surveying Technician

•Civil Engineering Technician

Higher (Level 4) •Built Environment Sustainability

•Environmental Supervisor (Manufacturing Engineering)

•Environmental Manufacturing Planning Engineer

•Project Manager

Higher (Level 6) •Commercial Manager

•Quantity Surveyor

What do all these have in common?

What jobs do chemicalscientists do?Environmental chemist

Food scientist

Marine chemist

Agricultural chemist

Analytical chemist

Medicinal chemist

Forensic scientist

Biochemist

Polymer scientist

Industrial chemist

Atmospheric chemist

Chemical engineer

Formulation chemist

Materials scientist

Toxicologist

Crystallographer

Computational chemist

What is happening in

industry

• New scienceo RNAio Nanoparticle deviceso Bioconjugates

• Diversity of skills/disciplineso Flow chemistry (chemical engineering) o Delivery (materials science)o Proteomics (chemical biology)

• Scientific collaborationo Internal and externalo Precompetitive research collaborations

• Resourcing modelso Outsourcingo Collaborative projects

What is happening in industry

• Unpredictable and challenging environmento reduced funds

o increased costs

o global competition

• Job security and job opportunities

• Reduced training capacity (SMEs)

• Networking

Importance of Transferable Skills

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/ed400570f

16-18 study Higher Education Postgraduate

Study whilst working

Routes to study chemistry

Intermediate apprenticeships

Part time and distance learning courses

14-16 study

GCSEs /

Standard Grades/

Intermediates

NVQ/SVQ level 1-2

A Levels (AS and A2) / Highers and Advanced

Highers

Baccalaureate (International / Scottish / Welsh / AQA)

BTEC

NVQ/SVQ level 3

Undergraduate degree (BSc, BA, MChem, MSci)

HND, HNC

Foundation degrees, Access to HE courses

NVQ level 4

Masters (MSc, MA)

PhD/MRes

PGCE/PGDE

NVQ level 5

Advanced Apprenticeships

Higher Apprenticeships

Vocational routes

Apprenticeships Part-time study

You don’t

have to go to

university..

What are foundation degrees?

A foundation degree is a degree level qualification which combines academic study with work place learning. Designed in association with employers, they are qualifications to equip people with the relevant skills, knowledge and understanding to achieve academic results as well as improve performance and productivity in the work place.

Foundation degrees focus on a particular job or profession. They are intended to increase the professional and technical skills of current or potential staff within a profession, or intending to go into that profession.

A foundation degree is the equivalent of two thirds of a full honours degree and is a fully flexible qualification allowing students to study part-time or full-time to fit their lifestyle.

But again not many of them about.

http://fd.ucas.com/FoundationDegree/About.aspx

Apprenticeships

• Long history of apprenticeships in the UK with a resurgence over previous 10-15 years

• Apprenticeships are the centrepiece of the Government’s approach to vocational training

• Ambition is to create a vocational pathway of equal value to that of higher education

• Approximately £1.5bn per year is invested in apprenticeship training in England by the Government

• Current Government committed to 3m apprenticeship starts this parliament (equates to 600,000 per year)

What is an Apprenticeship?

• An apprenticeship is a combination of employment and training. The apprentice studies toward nationally recognised qualifications whilst working with experienced members of staff

• There are 3 levels; Intermediate, Advanced and Higher

• Can take anything between one and four years to complete

• The training/qualification element is delivered by a training provider or college, which may involve day release

• Can be a new recruit or existing member of staff, but needs to be significant new learning

• There are more than 240 apprenticeship frameworks available, offering over 1,200 job roles (from traditional crafts and trades to laboratory technician, accountancy, IT, retail and logistics management)

Apprenticeships

www.apprenticeships.org.uk

www.notgoingtouni.co.uk

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/future-of-

apprenticeships-in-england-guidance-for-trailblazers

http://www.rsc.org/careers/future/earn-while-you-learn

https://www.accesstohe.ac.uk/Pages/Default.aspx

• Science apprenticeships are currently rare,

• <1000 starts year across all sciences

(out of approx. 400,000 apprenticeships in total)

• Most science apprenticeships are at higher or advanced level

• Currently 30,000 people on higher and degree apprenticeships

• Work being done to increase number of science apprenticeships

Further info

Apprenticeship Growth

(England)

240,000 workplaces now have apprentices (grown from 110,000 in 5 years)

440,000 people started in Apprenticeship in the 2013/14 academic year (more than doubled since 2006/07

Over 1.8m apprenticeship applications were made in 2013/14

Employers that now have Apprenticeship programmes include; Oxford University, GSK, BMW, Rolls Royce, KPMG etc……

Apprenticeship Growth

-Applications

0

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1,200,000

1,400,000

1,600,000

1,800,000

2,000,000

08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14

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Total number of Apprenticeship applications from 2008 to 2014

Apprenticeship Growth

-Number of starts

1

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100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

06/07 07/08 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14

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Total number of Apprenticeship starts from 2006 to 2014

Apprenticeships in the

Chemical Sciences Sector

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

06/07 07/08 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14

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Number of starts in selected Apprenticeship frameworks from 2006 to 2014

Accountancy

Engineering

IT and Telecoms Professionals

Laboratory Technicians

Management

The Framework

A common blueprint for all apprenticeships from April 2011 –

Specifications of Apprenticeship Standards for England (SASE)

Each framework contains 5 core elements delivered through a

minimum of 280 guided learning hours per year (although the

average framework GLH is much more than 300)

The apprenticeship framework is a suite of qualifications

consisting of:

-A competency based element (NVQ)

-A technical based element (technical certificate)

-Functional skills (Maths and English)

-Personal learning and thinking skills

-Employee rights and responsibilities

The frameworks are designed and developed by Sector Skills

Councils to ensure the training is industry relevant

The Framework Infrastructure

Department for Business Innovation and Skills &

Department for Education

Skills Funding Agency / National

Apprenticeship Service

EmployerApprentice

Training Provider

Apprenticeship Funding

(for frameworks)

Government fully funds or subsidises the cost of training:

100% funding if apprentice is aged 16-1

• The funding is routed directly to the training provider via the

Skills Funding Agency

• Each apprentice must have a registered training provider

• Government funded apprentices must be studying an

approved qualification framework

• The apprentices’ wages are paid by the employer (minimum

£2.73 per hour, rising to £3.30 p/h in October 2015)

• Individuals are ineligible for apprenticeship funding if they

already have a level 4 qualification

Business Benefits

• Provide a mechanism for succession planning

• Greater productivity• Reduce recruitment costs (by using ‘find an

apprenticeship’)• Lower training costs• Improved retention levels• Greater loyalty• Increase employee satisfaction• Demonstrate commitment to corporate

social responsibility

Learner Benefits

• Combination of work experience and qualifications

• Ability to apply knowledge instantly

• Earning whilst studying

• Still progressing up the educational ladder

• Government and employer pays the fees = No student debt!!!

Find an Apprenticeship

https://www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk/apprenticeshipsearch

Find an Apprenticeship #2

https://www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk/apprenticeshipsearch

The FutureMoving from frameworks to standards:

Over 50 standards are now ready for delivery

Over 150 are in the process of being developed

Standards are being designed by employers for employers

Employers will describe what is required to be competent (the standard)

and how the apprentices will be assessed independently (not necessarily a

qualification!)

For every £1 an employer invests the government will invest £2 (up to a

capped amount)

The funding will route directly to the employer via an online voucher system

Frameworks set to be turned off in 2017

Apprenticeship levy for ‘large’ employers now at consultation stage which

will help fund apprenticeships in the future

Degree Apprenticeships

Legal protection of apprenticeships

The future for us….

Continue to support members undertaking (or wishing to undertake) vocational route-ways into science careers

Continue to support trailblazers

Encourage more employers to look at apprenticeships

• Promote them and also look for more concrete examples

• Accredit apprenticeship providers

• Apprentices get RSciTech at end of their course

Professional recognition for

Appprentices

We are licenced by the Science Council

to award:

• Registered Science Technician

(RSciTech)

• Registered Scientist

(RSci)

175 Faces of Chemistry

www.rsc.org/diversity/175-faces/

Print resources

available from: education@rsc.org

ChemNet

Cutting-edge chemistry

Further study and career advice

Inspiring events

Lab and university visits

Help with your studies

http://chemnet.rsc.org

Other science resources

Biology

http://www.rsb.org.uk/careers-and-cpd/careers/career-resources

http://www.rsb.org.uk/careers-and-cpd/careers/employment/technicians-careers-profiles

Physics

www.physics.org

www.myphysicscourse.org

www.iop.org

All STEM

http://www.futuremorph.org/

Thank you!

Dr Robert Bowles

Careers Specialist, Royal Society of Chemistry,

Tel: 01223 432340

Email: careers@rsc.org

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/robertbowles

Twitter: @JobSquadRob

Web: www.rsc.org/careers