The Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) has announced global healthcare company GSK as its newest gold corporate partner.
The organisation has demonstrated a clear commitment to inspiring the next generation of engineers, as well as enhancing the technical skills of its employees and supporting them to become professionally qualified.
Key role of chemical engineering in everyday life
GSK currently runs an engineering ambassador scheme which supports its chemical engineers in running schools outreach, to highlight the key role of chemical engineering in everyday life.
The scheme aims to encourage students from primary school through to sixth form to consider careers in engineering. Workshops and experience days they have organised range from toothpaste manufacturing to DNA extraction.
GSK’s STEM work experience schemes in 2016 and 2017, in collaboration with the UK's Prince’s Trust, saw more than 80 students in total, aged 16 to 24, experience chemical engineering in action through site tours, educational games and shadowing work.
The healthcare company provides both 12-month and summer placements to university graduates, and champions knowledge-sharing between industry and academia by sponsoring PhD programmes at the Continuous Manufacturing and Crystallisation Centre (CMAC) Future Manufacturing Research Hub.
Its chemical engineers regularly contribute to journal articles, and present at technical conferences and symposiums.
GSK runs a successful IChemE Accredited Company Training Scheme (ACTS) for chemical engineers where 35 mentors support and guide its 61 graduates and early career engineers through their professional development.
The company has a clear goal to encourage its staff to achieve professional qualifications across the organisation especially in scientific and technical areas.
At GSK, Luisa Freitas dos Santos, VP, Clinical Supply Chain, David Lynch, head of engineering and EHS, and Ian Kemp, scientific leader were presented with the gold corporate partner recognition by IChemE’s chief executive, Jon Prichard, and IChemE’s incoming deputy president, Professor Stephen Richardson.
'How the contribution of chemical engineers benefits society'
Jon Prichard, chief executive, IChemE, said: “Through both its everyday work and its various outreach activities, GSK is demonstrating how the contribution of chemical engineers benefits society.
"It is through this work that they are inspiring the next generation of chemical engineers, advancing research areas, and developing new technologies. They actively support their employees in becoming chartered chemical engineers and clearly recognise the importance of continued professional development.
"This is further demonstrated by the chemical engineers themselves, who offer their time so generously to IChemE as volunteer qualification assessors, technical advisers, and special interest group members.
“I’m delighted to welcome them as IChemE gold corporate partners.”
Luisa Freitas Dos Santos, VP, Clinical Supply Chain, GSK said: “We are delighted that the IChemE has awarded GSK the Gold Corporate Partner status. This recognises our overall enhancement of the profession, supporting our engineers, participating in IChemE working groups to tackle specific discipline related objectives, and reaching out to the community to promote STEM education and encouraging future career choices in engineering.
"At GSK we support all our engineers to attain Chartered Chemical Engineer status and encourage them to contribute to nurturing the next generation of chemical engineers.”