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Engineering design

Chemical engineer Green Job

Chemical engineers develop ways to turn raw materials into everyday products.

Annual Salary

£30,000 to £65,000

Average UK salary in 2022 was £33,200
(source Office for National Statistics)

Working hours

39 to 41 a week

You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; on shifts

2.4%
Future employment

There will be 2.4% more Chemical engineer jobs in 2027.

Day to day tasks

If you work in research and development, you could;test new ways to develop products in the lab; use computer models to work out safe and cost-effective production methods; plan how to move from lab tests to pilot production and then large-scale processing; develop methods to deal safely with by-products and waste materials

In manufacturing, you could:

  • work with plant designers to create production equipment and instruments
  • oversee the day-to-day operation of the processing plant
  • monitor production and deal with problems
  • work closely with quality control and health and safety managers

Working environment

You may need to wear protective clothing.

You could work in a laboratory, in an office or at a manufacturing plant.

Your working environment may be outdoors some of the time.

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role
University

You'll normally need a degree or postgraduate qualification in:

  • chemical engineering
  • process engineering
  • biochemical engineering

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.

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 could take a postgraduate master's qualification like an MEng. This would include independent research and would give you a greater knowledge and understanding of chemical engineering science. It could also prepare you for further postgraduate study like a PhD.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English, maths and science
  • 2 or 3 A levels, or equivalent, including chemistry
  • a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study
For more information
Apprenticeship

You may be able to do a science industry process engineer degree apprenticeship.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship
For more information
Work

You could start as a chemical engineering technician and do training on the job to qualify as an engineer.

More information

Professional and industry bodies

You can join the Institution of Chemical Engineers for professional development opportunities.

Further information

You can find more details about careers and training in chemical engineering through the Institution of Chemical Engineers.

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With experience, you could progress to senior process or design engineer, research and development manager.

You could go on to be a plant manager, or overall operations manager.

You could also move into consultancy work.

You can find more details about careers and training in chemical engineering through the Institution of Chemical Engineers and Whynotchemeng.

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

You'll need:

  • maths knowledge
  • knowledge of engineering science and technology
  • knowledge of chemistry including the safe use and disposal of chemicals
  • design skills and knowledge
  • knowledge of physics
  • analytical thinking skills
  • science skills
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • knowledge of manufacturing production and processes
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
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