Presidential Blog: The hard work continues

Presidential Blog: The hard work continues

21st October 2024

The latest thoughts and updates from IChemE President Mark Apsey MBE.

It’s been another rewarding month as IChemE President, much of which has been spent building relationships with representatives from the UK government and fellow professional engineering institutions. Each meeting with these key stakeholders has allowed us to identify areas of common interest and raise the profile of chemical and process engineers and their contribution to addressing the big challenges of today.

This was certainly true when IChemE CEO Yvonne Baker and I hosted the newly elected MP for Rugby, John Slinger, at our Rugby office. After providing Mr Slinger with a primer on the importance of chemical engineering to everyday life and an introduction to our ongoing schools-focused DiscoverChemEng campaign, we were delighted with his interest and enthusiasm to talk about chemical engineering with other policymakers whenever he gets the opportunity. He also expressed how much he is looking forward to our forthcoming Big Bang on Location event in November when nearly 400 young people will be visiting the Rugby office to find out where chemical and process engineering can take them.

Yvonne and I had a very constructive discussion this month with the President and CEO of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers – Clive Hickman and Dr Alice Bunn. We explored potential avenues of collaboration, with an emphasis on strategies to grab the attention of policymakers and future professionals. Keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming roundtable co-hosted by our two great Institutions.

On the subject close to all our hearts of encouraging the next generation of engineers, I was excited by the recent launch of ‘Engineering a Sustainable World’, our fantastic new virtual work experience platform featuring contributions from over 50 of our members. At the time of writing, there are 345 young people working their way through the platform, with over 50% of these in years 12 and 13. I encourage you to share this invaluable resource as widely as possible.

It’s not just aspiring chemical and process engineers that we want to engage with new initiatives. The coming month will see the unveiling of Mentor Match on IChemE Connect, a comprehensive service that will allow us to support individuals’ professional registration journeys alongside more general career support. Full details of this programme will be available soon.

To continue the theme of looking ahead, on 15 October we were thrilled to convene a roundtable to discuss the future of artificial intelligence (AI) in plant operation and control. Participants at the event discussed the barriers, risks and opportunities associated with using such technology, and were optimistic about the role that both AI and machine learning can play in the UK’s ability to meet its green energy and net zero objectives.

The final thing that I’d like to share this month is news of my trip to Climate Week NYC. It was my first time in New York, and I was honoured to be involved in the annual, climate-focused coming together of decision makers from across government and industry.

I have many personal highlights from the event, including participating in roundtables alongside Kerry McCarthy MP and Secretary of State, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero Ed Miliband MP making the case for prioritising engineering skills in supporting the energy transition. I also enjoyed visiting the University of Pennsylvania's chemical engineering department to explore trends in undergraduate enrolment, ways to make the profession more inclusive, and how to build links between academics across the Atlantic.

That’s all for now. I hope you have enjoyed reading my latest updates. I look forward to continuing our hard work to help engineer a more sustainable world.

Photo: IChemE President Mark Apsey MBE, MP for Rugby John Slinger, IChemE CEO Yvonne Baker, and IChemE Head of Young People's and Student Engagement Jo Cox. 

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