People often ask me about what the future of chemistry is, what kind of jobs will exist? It's difficult, if not impossible to predict the answer to the question but there has recently been a piece of research: The Future of Work: Jobs and Skills in 2030.

UKCES have researched the job market of the future and has come up with 4 main possiblities:

1. Forced Flexibility - greater flexibility and moderate innovation
2.The Great Divide - high tech industries
3. Skills Activism - technological innovation
4. Innovation Adaptation - implementation of ICT solutions

The paper explores the financial. technological and political effects on the UK. It makes an interesting read.

Of course one can never predict the future accurately but the landscape is likely to be different and it opens up a lot of questions. Will we use new and emerging technologies to increase productivity and efficiency?, what will happen to the workforce?, how will we learn?

What we can be sure of is that we are likely to use more technology, and combine it with other things, like has already happened with biometrics. Will there be a role for chemists? Of course, perhaps not in the same ways as now but using our logical, problem solving and data skills may become even more important.

Politics is a hot topic no matter what the weather is doing and it's one which many of you are interested in. The main route into the civil service for PhDs is through the fast stream graduate programme but what if it's not for you? Well, what if I said you could take a shorter position, say three months, to work in a Government department and see if it's for you? What if I also said it would be in a department which would use your scientific knowledge? Sound too good to be true? I have good news.

It's that time of year again where the Royal Society of Chemistry's Westminster Fellowship is open for applications.

I have even better news - we will give you a bursary of £5000.

What's stopping you? Get your application in!

Are you a student? Are you interested in China? If the answer to both of those questions is yes then the British Council are running an event for you: British Council 2014 UK-China Student Forum.

The Forum is looking for UK students with a global outlook to join Chinese students in Beijing to voice opinions on issues related to education, employment and global citizenship. Through group discussions, workshops, keynote presentations and wrap-around activities, participants will exchange views with eight Chinese student counterparts and will conclude with a live discussion on 22 April 2014 at a university location in Beijing.

There will be places for eight lucky students and all you have to do is answer the question: How can our education better prepare us to compete in an increasingly globalised world? in no more than 500 words. Then:

• Email your response to: gen.uk@britishcouncil.org.cn with ‘UK-China Student Forum’ in the subject line.
• Please include your: full name, email address, university and degree course
• Please attach a copy of your CV
• Deadline: 23 March 2014

Eligibility

You must be:

• a UK university student (British passport holders only, including Irish passport holders for Northern Ireland domiciled);
• aged 18 and above
• able to travel to China during 19 – 24 April

The British Council will cover all costs related to the trip, including return flights and accommodation.

We are halfway through National Apprenticeship Week, an event which is now in its seventh year which focuses on creating awareness and interest in apprenticeships. Since 2010 1.6 million apprenticeships have been created and according to new research conducted by ICM, almost half (44%) of businesses in the country plan to take on apprentices in the next five years. This compares to 36% employers when asked the same question this time last year.

The study of 600 businesses reports that one fifth of SMEs plan to take on one or more apprentice in the next 12 months alone, with more than a third (37%) of larger businesses planning to do likewise, compared to 15% and 28% respectively in February 2013. In addition, around a third of those companies who plan to take on apprentices say this it is because they are a core part of their growth strategy.

The study also shows how Apprenticeships are growing in popularity. In fact, 43% of employers agree they would be more likely to offer an Apprenticeship than they were two years ago. Of these, nearly two in five said this was because the talent pool had widened as Apprenticeships become more popular, 33% because it had become easier to employ apprentices and 32% because they have more job roles in their business that would suit an apprentice. Overall, 41% of employers agreed that apprentices stay in the business longer than other recruits.

Furthermore, it would appear Apprenticeships are now filtering into supply chain selection criteria. Nearly one in five SMEs and over a third of larger organisations say they have been questioned by clients or prospects about their apprentice recruitment policies.

This finding is mirrored in a supplementary study amongst some of the companies featured in the latest City & Guilds Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers List. Key findings from the bosses surveyed include:

• 93% advocate apprentice recruitment through their supply chain
• 78% say they would be more likely to choose a supplier or partner if they too offered Apprenticeships, with 18% of these saying apprentice recruitment is already part of their selection criteria

 

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