Universities report record chemical engineering intake

London - Universities in the UK have reported a record intake of chemical engineering students, with 1455 new students choosing to study chemical engineering at UK universities, according to UCAS’ 2007 admission figures. But, warns Dr David Brown, chief executive at the IChemE, the trend - a rise of 11.5% since 2006, and 55% since 2001 - could only be sustained through increased government and industry support:

“Chemical Engineers will play a key role in finding solutions to the problems of global warming and climate change and further growth in student numbers mustn’t be restricted by full capacity on courses," said Brown. “We’ve reached the stage where the expansion of existing chemical engineering departments and the development of new departments require serious consideration. This can only be implemented through the financial support from Government and industry.”

The biggest chemical engineering intake prior to this year was in 1994, when 1437 students chose to study the subject at UK universities. Senior figures within UK chemical engineering education offer different explanations for the growth, with some pointing to the IChemE’s whynotchemeng careers initiative, which is designed to highlight the benefits of a career in chemical engineering to young people.

Professor Jonathan Seville, head of Chemical Engineering at Birmingham University said: “In the last few years we have seen a concerted effort by departments, IChemE and committed individuals to project the image of the subject as widely and as excitingly as possible. This has made the difference between simply recovering a bit and the really strong recovery we are now seeing.”

For his part, Dr Carl Schaschke, head of Chemical Engineering at Strathclyde University, said: “The upturn in interest in chemical engineering nationally is a reflection of the changing role and unique skills of the chemical engineer. Now, more than at any time in the past, chemical engineers can be found central to meeting the societal needs of energy provision, health care and tackling head-on crucial environmental issues that affect everyone.”