IChemE hosts green transition roundtable at the UK Houses of Parliament
27th February 2024
An IChemE roundtable discussion on ‘Unlocking the workforce for the green transition’ took place in the UK Houses of Parliament today, 27 February. The event was organised by the new IChemE Policy and Impact team, and was kindly sponsored by the Member of Parliament for Rugby, Mark Pawsey.
A mix of representatives from industry, think tanks, academia, and parliamentarians from both houses attended a working lunch, followed by a discussion focused on how the chemical and process engineering profession can help to ensure that the UK has enough people with the right skills working at scale and speed on the huge challenge of the green transition. The group also discussed how to ensure that all communities and regions across the UK can benefit from these opportunities.
Discussion during the afternoon was wide-ranging and covered a number of topics, including: the importance of greater public understanding of the scale of the challenges and opportunities presented by the green transition; the fundamental need to coordinate the disparate activity in this area, through a suitably ambitious and detailed industrial strategy; and the need for a greater recognition of the value of technical qualifications and training among employers as well as current and future workers.
Nigel Hirst, IChemE President said: “With many IChemE members already working on the frontline of making green energy a reality in a wide range of sectors, we are well-placed to input into these vital topics. Convening these conversations is crucial, both to making our profession’s impact felt more widely, and to emphasise the pivotal role chemical and process engineers have in the transition towards achieving a sustainable world.”
Duncan Lugton, IChemE Head of Policy and Impact, added: “IChemE’s Policy and Impact team are looking forward to a busy year working with key stakeholders across a number of important portfolios, helping to shape these conversations to more clearly reflect our profession’s crucial contribution. A key IChemE ask for governments and policymakers is to ensure that public policy reflects the national strategic importance of chemical and process engineering, and that research funding and technical education and training - at all levels - is prioritised and expanded.”
Contact
For more information please contact:
Ann Baylis, Communications Executive and PR Lead, IChemE
t: +44 (0) 1788 534477
e: abaylis@icheme.org
Dan Owens, Communications Executive, IChemE
t: +44 (0) 1788 534458
e: dowens@icheme.org
What is chemical engineering?
Chemical, biochemical and process engineering is the application of science, mathematics and economics in the process of turning raw materials into everyday, and more specialist, products. Professional chemical engineers design, construct and manage process operations all over the world. Energy, pharmaceuticals, food and drink, synthetic fibres and clean drinking water are just some of the industry sectors and products where chemical engineering plays a central role.
IChemE
The Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) advances chemical engineering's contribution for the benefit of society. We facilitate the development of chemical engineering professionals and provide connections to a powerful network of around 30,000 members in more than 100 countries.
We support our members in applying their expertise and experience to make an influential contribution to solving major global challenges, and are the only organisation permitted to award Chartered Chemical Engineer status and Professional Process Safety Engineer registration.