The survey was distributed through our website, members of our Lancaster Chemistry Industry Advisory Board and LinkedIn pages.

14 people responded from a wide range of chemical industry areas.

When asked about the most appealing degrees, 71% responded MChem, 14% mentioned the Industrial placement programmes and 36% identified PhD as the most appealing degree when hiring.

When asked about the main skills needed at recruitment:

• 93% identified written communication as essential.
• 86% said that oral communication and chemical knowledge are necessary for a successful career in industry.
• Practical laboratory skills, organisation, and project/time management were deemed equally important, with 79% of respondents highlighting them as essential skills.

Responses identified “independent thinking, initiative, resilience and being able to adapt to different situations” as other key skills considered to be of high importance when looking for potential employees within an industrial chemical context.

Several responses identified industrial awareness or real-world experience (e.g. industrial placement) as crucial to providing applicants with a competitive edge in an interview process, but are often lacking in chemistry graduates.

The responses, collected anonymously, will assist Lancaster's Chemistry Department in improving its degree programs to address essential employability criteria for chemistry graduates over the next several years.

The full analysis of the results can be downloaded online.