Chemical Engineering November 2015 - 20

eDucation anD inDustry
cording to the survey results.
Another recent survey, conducted
T
he workforce situation in Louisiana and Texas is an important part of a larger conversation
in the U.S. regarding the connection between industry and education
and how we approach the education of technically skilled workers.
" There's a profound mismatch in the U.S. between the education we provide to students
and the needs of the workforce, " says William Symonds, director of the Global Pathways
Institute (GPI; www.globalpathwaysinstitute.org), which is based at Arizona State University
(Tempe, Ariz.; www.asu.edu). " As a society, we put almost no resources into promoting career
literacy and helping people make informed career decisions. "
The way those issues are addressed will affect the workforce of the CPI. Symonds thinks
that to address the issue in a permanent way, nationally, the country needs to place far more
emphasis on career literacy - equipping students with the knowledge, tools and support
they need to make good career decisions. In addition, we need to greatly expand work-based
learning, including internships and apprenticeships. This is especially important in training engineers.
" Engineering schools in the U.S. have not emphasized work-based learning nearly
enough, " he says. " A key initiative [that the GPI has] is to form partnerships with engineering
schools to provide more opportunities for intense, long-term, meaningful internships. " This
would be a very effective strategy for exposing students to chemical engineering, as well as
for helping companies identify promising candidates to hire.
He also advocates for CPI companies to be even more proactive about attracting students.
Most high school students take chemistry, he points out, but the subject is generally taught
as an abstract subject. " We're not talking to students about the opportunities to work in
chemistry, " Symonds says.
" Chemical engineering is not perceived as a 'sexy' industry or career path, but it is of vital
importance to almost every aspect of our modern lives. We need programs to educate students
on the import roles that chemical engineers play in our lives, " Symonds remarks.
" We need a cultural revolution in career awareness and literacy. In Germany and Switzerland
and other Northern European countries, they do a much better job of linking education to
the workforce. Students are put into the college preparatory track or into a vocational track,
where they are given on-the-job training while they are learning.
" Students are made to believe that all jobs require a four-year degree, but the reality is that
many jobs don't require one, " Symonds says. " What they require is advanced technical skills. "
GPI is working with several other national organizations to create a national coalition to promote
career awareness. The coalition is planning to hold a major meeting next february at the
U.S. Chamber of Commerce (Washington, D.C.; www.uschamber.com). Companies or organizations
interested in getting involved can contact Symonds (william.symonds@asu.edu).
Texas and Louisiana are among the states looking to address the issue through state legislation.
In Texas, for example, House Bill 5 was passed in 2013. It is an industry-driven piece
of legislation aimed at renewing interest in technical programs for middle schools. Louisiana
also has legislation for technical training in high schools.
with 0-3 years of engineering experience,
the average salary is $79,200/
yr, while the average salary swells
to $105,300/yr for those with 8-15
years of experience.
forty-five percent of survey respondents
working full time reported that
their salary fell somewhere between
$100,000 and $200,000 annually, with
14.3% in the $100,000-$120,000
range and 10% in the $120,000 to
$140,000 range. Almost 18%, however,
reported salaries of less than
$40,000/yr. Those respondents hailed
mostly from South America, Mexico
and Central America, Southeast and
Central Asia. Close to 5% of survey
takers reported annual salaries of
greater than $200,000. Salaries differed
somewhat by job function (figure
2 and Table 1).
full time employment was reported
20
by 92.6% of respondents to the CE
survey, while another 4.0% said they
worked part time. Part-time incomes
were not included in calculating average
salaries. Retired workers made
up 2.3% of the respondent pool,
while those reporting unemployed
status was only 1.0%.
fifty-two percent of respondents
hold a bachelor's degree, (avg.
U.S. salary $120,229), while 36.4%
have a master's degree (avg. salary
$132,686), and 10.5% have a Ph.D
($143,517). Associate's degrees were
reported by 1.0% of respondents.
Going forward into next year,
45.2% of respondents said they
anticipated their salary to be higher
next year than this one, while 44.5%
thought their salary would remain
about the same. Only 10.3% anticipated
a lower salary next year, acearlier
this year by the American Institute
of Chemical Engineers (AIChE;
New york; www.aiche.org), suggests
a continued upward trend for salaries
of its members. The survey found that
the median salary for chemical engineers
responding rose by 5.8% over
the median value from 2013, when
the survey was last conducted.
Workforce questions
In addition to the salary-related questions,
the CE survey also inquired
about other workforce-related topics,
including recent retirements and
hires made by the respondents' employers.
for hires, close to 33% of
respondents said they estimated that
their employers had hired more than
15 engineers and technical staff over
the past year. Almost 92% of survey
takers said their employer had made
at least one hire in the past year. Perhaps
somewhat correspondingly,
28.4% of respondents said their
company had experienced greater
than 15 retirements over the past
year, and 80% said their company
had seen at least one person retire.
Retirements. The survey also asked
to what extent those retirements affected
companies' operations, an
issue that has been important in
the CPI for the past several years.
Those reporting that retirements had
" greatly affected " their company totaled
16.0%, while those saying retirements
had " somewhat affected "
their company totaled 41.9%. Just
over 25% said that retirements had
only " minimally affected " their company
and 16.5% said retirements had
not affected their company at all.
Skills. The survey also asked to what
extent respondents' companies have
been affected by a shortage of skilled
trade workers, which has also been
a much-discussed topic in the U.S.
manufacturing and industry sectors,
in general. Almost 63% of respondents
said that a shortage of skilled
trade workers had either greatly affected
(17.6%) or somewhat affected
(45.22%) their companies' businesses,
while 22.9% said the issue
had a minimal effect and 14.2% said a
lack of skilled worker had no effect on
their companies in the past year.
ChemiCal engineering www.Chemengonline.Com november 2015

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Chemical Engineering November 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering November 2015