The Chemical Business Association (CBA) represents the whole UK chemical supply chain and was represented by staff and members of their Future Council at the ‘Chemistry at Work Week’ held at the Catalyst Science Discovery Centre, Widnes.
The CBA Future Council, whose aims include bringing attention to the diverse chemical supply chain and its associated industries; as well as inspiring and encouraging new talent; welcomed Y9 pupils from local schools to the Museum for a week of workshops, talks and experiments.
Each representing a different CBA member company, the Future Council was joined through the week by over 500 pupils from across six local secondary schools. The pupils were able to hear and learn first-hand about the multitude of career options throughout the chemical supply chain – from sales and account management to logistics and laboratory roles. Each session concluded with an experiment, aiming to show the pupils the chemistry behind everyday objects, such as anti-freeze.
Tim Doggett, CBA’s Chief Executive joined the pupils for the final day to reflect and share his experiences of the chemical supply chain and to talk about his role. About the event, Tim stated “I am delighted that we were able to contribute towards making Chemistry at Work Week such a resounding success and it was fantastic to see the Future Council sharing their enthusiasm for the chemical supply chain. The Chemical Business Association has a long history with the Catalyst Museum, and workshops like these fit perfectly with our work towards developing a sustainable supply chain and garnering new interest in the industry.”
Dr Lee Juby, CEO of Catalyst said “Chemistry at work week captures the essence of Catalyst, business collaboration with education. Last week we inspired over 350 school children with the career possibilities in chemical businesses. We did this with the support of 17 businesses bringing49 representatives, with the CBA being a key partner. We showed the next generation the possibilities and options in not only science and engineering but in the wider career paths from marketing to business administration.”
With the success of this and other events, the Future Council has been approached to run further workshops across the UK, with the objective of sharing with more young people to the vast opportunities the chemical supply chain has to offer.
