Chemical engineering technician Job Information | National Careers Service

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Chemical engineering technician

Hours

30-40 per week
Starting salary

£15,000 + per year

As a chemical engineering technician, you would work with chemical engineers on the research, development and manufacture of products, including plastics, medicines, foods, textiles and fuel. You could be employed in any area of engineering, including research and development, design and construction or operations and maintenance. If you like chemistry and maths, a career in chemical engineering could be the perfect job for you.

To be able to do this job, you should have good spoken and written communication skills. You need to be good at solving problems. You’ll also need to be accurate and have attention to detail.

There are three ways of becoming this type of technician. You could join an Apprenticeship scheme. Or you could take a college course in engineering. Or you could start work in a chemical plant and work your way up.

The work

Depending on which part of a plant you work in, your duties could include:

helping to design, build or install production plant equipment
carrying out laboratory experiments to develop new products
monitoring production processes, using measurement and control instruments
recording data and making adjustments to machinery
carrying out maintenance checks and making repairs
making sure safety procedures are followed
carrying out quality control checks.

With experience, you could work as a shift manager, supervising chemical plant process workers.

Hours

Your hours would vary depending on where you work. In research and development, you might work 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, with occasional overtime. In processing and manufacturing, you might work on a shift system that includes weekends, evenings and nights.

You could be based in a laboratory, office or process plant. In the mineral processing or oil exploration industries, you might be based in remote parts of the world for the duration of a contract.

Income

Starting salaries can be around £15,000 a year. With experience, this can rise to between £20,000 and £30,000.

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Entry requirements

There are three ways to become a chemical engineering technician. You could:

join an Apprenticeship scheme
take a college course in engineering or process engineering before applying for a trainee technician job
start work as chemical plant process operative and work your way up.

To get into this job through an Apprenticeship scheme you will need to check which schemes are available in your area. To find out more, visit the Apprenticeships website.

Apprenticeships

Relevant college courses include:

BTEC National Certificate or Diploma in Manufacturing Engineering Operations and Maintenance Engineering (Process), Polymer Processing and Materials Technology, or Applied Science (Lab and Industrial)
City & Guilds Technical Certificate in Engineering or Process Technology
A Level in Engineering.

If you are already working as a process operative, you could move up to technician level by studying for one of the qualifications listed above, or the NVQs outlined in the training and development section.

See the websites for the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), and Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) for information about a career in chemical engineering.

For more information about careers in the energy, polymer or petroleum sectors of the chemical industry, contact Cogent.

Cogent

Training and development

Your on-the-job training would normally include health and safety practices and the chance to gain a relevant NVQ to at least level 3. Options include:

Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Petrochemical Manufacture
Polymer Processing and Related Operations
Process Engineering Maintenance
Laboratory and Associated Technical Activities.

With a level 3 NVQ, you could improve your career prospects by applying for registered Engineering Technician (EngTech) status. See the Engineering Council website for more details.

Engineering Council

You could also qualify as a chemical engineer, by taking a foundation degree, BTEC HNC/HND or degree in chemical engineering, applied chemistry or engineering technology. Details of accredited courses are on the careers websites of IChemE and IET.

Skills and knowledge

To become a chemical engineering technician, you should have:

a flair for chemistry and maths
an understanding of engineering principles
good spoken and written communication skills
the ability to understand and present scientific data
excellent IT skills
accuracy and attention to detail
problem-solving ability
the ability to work on your own and as a part of a team.

More information

Institution of Engineering and Technology (Opens new window)
Michael Faraday House
Stevenage
Hertfordshire
SG1 2AY
Tel: 01438 313 311
www.theiet.org

The UKRC (Opens new window)
Listerhills Park of Science and Commerce
40-42 Campus Road
Bradford
BD7 1HR
Tel: 01274 436485
www.theukrc.org

Cogent (Opens new window)
Unit 5, Mandarin Court
Centre Park
Warrington
Cheshire
WA1 1GG
Tel: 01925 515200
www.cogent-ssc.com

Institution of Chemical Engineers (Opens new window)
165-189 Railway Terrace
Rugby
CV21 3HQ
Tel: 01788 578214
www.icheme.org

Tomorrow's Engineers (Opens new window)
EngineeringUK
Weston House
246 High Holborn
London
WC1V 7EX
Email: careers@engineeringuk.com
Tel: 020 3206 0400
www.tomorrowsengineers.org.uk

Opportunities

The range of industries that require chemical engineering technicians is very wide, including chemicals production, food, energy, medical and utilities such as water and gas.

With experience, you could become a shift supervisor, eventually moving into maintenance or production management. Other options include materials development and design, quality control or sales and marketing.

You may find the following useful for vacancies and general reading (links open in new window):

Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.

We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.

Related industry information

Industry summary

The chemicals industry is part of the broader science-based sector represented by Cogent Sector Skills Council, which also includes pharmaceuticals, nuclear, oil and gas, petroleum and polymer industries. Most goods used by people in their homes, at work and in their everyday activities are products derived from the chemical, nuclear, oil and gas, petroleum and polymer industries. The combined industries employ nearly half a million people in the UK and are of huge economic and strategic importance to the UK. It includes:

Basic chemicals (including industrial gases, dyes and pigments, fertilisers and nitrogen compounds and plastics and synthetic rubber in primary forms)
Pesticides and other products
Soaps and detergents etc. (including cleaning and polishing preparations, perfumes and toilet preparations)
Other products (including explosives, glues and gelatines and essential oils)

Key facts:

The chemicals industry is one of the UK’s largest manufacturing industries and manufacturing’s number one exporter.
It has grown five times faster than the average for all industries over last 10 years.
The industry spends over £2 billion a year on new capital investment.
There is a relatively high proportion of the workforce employed in medium-sized enterprises.
Total employment in the chemicals industry has decreased by 53,000 since 1998 and employment across the whole sector is projected to continue to fall to 2017.
Fewer, but more highly skilled and technology literate, employees will be expected to operate more flexibly and have crosscutting and change-management skills.

Jobs in the industry range from: Lab technician, Chemical Engineer, Plant Manager, Process Technician, Lab manager, Process Technician (mechanical, instruments, electrical), Graduate Engineer, and Senior Engineer.

National and regional data

Across Great Britain, there are an estimated 108,300 people working in chemicals manufacturing and processing. The largest number of employees is located in:

North West
South East
Yorkshire and the Humber
East Midlands

The industry is a strategic priority for many regions. There are significant clusters of chemical businesses in the East Midlands, West Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber, Central Scotland and in Wales around Cardiff, Swansea, Newport and Wrexham. In the North East, there is a concentration of specialty chemicals companies.