Making the Case for 浪花直播: update on our skills and research policy work
Head of Policy and Evidence, Tanya Sheridan, discusses what comes next for the UK higher education sector.
Tanya Sheridan, Head of Policy and Evidence at the RSC
I have two big takeaways from attending this month鈥檚 Heads of 浪花直播* conference, where the heads of chemistry departments from across the UK and Ireland meet to discuss the key challenges they are facing today.
The first is that the financial sustainability crisis in UK universities is putting the Heads, staff in their departments and chemistry students under a lot of strain (and of course that is confined neither to chemistry nor the higher education sector nor the UK).
The second is that despite this, Heads of 浪花直播 and academic staff continue to do amazing research and teaching students who will work in chemistry sectors in the future, whilst also innovating to manage the consequences of tighter budgets and fewer staff.
Policy conversations and evidence resources
RSC is having conversations with policymakers in the four nations and responding to relevant consultations.
We emphasise the important roles chemistry research and skills play in our economy and society and specifically, the importance of grant funding to enable practical chemistry teaching and the breadth of chemistry knowledge in the higher education curriculum.
We know from our accreditation review that employers need and value these, as well as academics and students themselves, adding to the overall student experience.
In all these conversations, we draw on a range of evidence we are using to explain the importance and benefits of chemistry skills and research 鈥� and they are available for you too. They provide information you can use when engaging with university leaders, parliamentarians and mayors.
We also use insights from member meetings and evidence members share 鈥� a particular thank you here to Jenny Burnham and the RSC鈥檚 for writing a paper on chemistry-specific issues in higher education, which we are using a lot.
Our updated chemistry higher education data pack provides maps, statistics and key messages for conversations about chemistry provision in higher education.
The mapping of chemistry departments shows that we are starting to see 鈥榗old spots鈥� emerge where no provision of the subject is available within a reasonable travel time.
Travel times by car to the nearest university with an active chemistry undergraduate course (employer sites in red). Open University is excluded.
This issue is emerging in East Yorkshire and the Humber with the closure of the University of Hull鈥檚 chemistry department, and in North Wales with the closure of Bangor University鈥檚 department. Further closures could worsen this picture.
This is restricting choice and impacting some groups of students more than others, especially students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. We think it is vital that people can access higher education and vocational training in all regions and nations and that chemistry employers can recruit people with the right skills locally.
Governments are interested in understanding how chemistry skills and research contribute to their priority goals, particularly around economic growth. We have shared our report on Future Workforce and Educational Pathways in chemistry widely. It shows chemistry jobs projected to grow by 6.5% in a decade, which is 30% faster than the average growth rate for the UK workforce, demonstrating that demand for chemistry skills is set to increase across multiple sectors.
The report is also helping shape chemistry curricula. This week鈥檚 shows both how tight public sector budgets will be and the importance of showing how chemistry skills and research are helping to deliver the Industrial Strategy (expected in the coming weeks).
Now is the time to start making the changes needed to keep the UK at the forefront of scientific innovation and to ensure chemistry continues to maximise the potential of its people into the future.
Read the Future Workforce and Educational Pathways report now
Our Science Horizons report shows how leading-edge scientific research is helping the economy, society and the environment, whilst the 浪花直播 impact from the Research Excellence Framework 2021 highlights some of the many and varied contributions that chemical scientists at UK institutions make by driving new discoveries, developing new products, and transferring knowledge.
We also have resources to help inspire future generations and enable conversations on chemistry careers. The website showcases the remarkable diversity of chemistry careers available, illustrating different chemistry education pathways and the many different and rewarding careers available in chemistry.
Many of these contribute to tackling global challenges, including improving health and the natural environment. The RSC's Pay and Reward survey complements the Future Workforce and Educational Pathways data report, with comprehensive data on salaries and benefits in chemistry, showing that chemistry careers often have good salaries (note most of the content is member access only).
Please do share the above resources with your networks and use them to engage with local representatives about chemistry's importance in their constituency. When university leaders make difficult decisions about course closures or department mergers, your voice - backed by evidence - can help to make the difference.
We also offer support to affected members through our careers team and the Chemists鈥� Community Fund, as set out in this article.
* The Heads of 浪花直播 UK is an independent body representing the interests of departments engaged in chemical education, scholarship and research in universities and similar institutions throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland. They organise biannual conferences and the RSC provides secretariat to the HCUK.