ACS puts the spotlight on chemical technical professionals

A critical role in the workforce

In 2021, 336,000 chemical technical professionals (CTPs) were employed specifically in chemical production. By 2022, according to a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report, 3.4 million skilled technical jobs across various occupations—jobs that play a major role in the US economy—were expected to be unfilled. These unfilled jobs encompass management, business, computer and mathematical science, architecture and engineering, health-care, and technical occupations.

For chemical technicians, the most recent available data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics had projected 5% growth between 2023 and 2033, with about 7,300 new openings expected each year. Skilled jobs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields that do not require PhDs or even 4-year degrees—including CTP and other technical professional positions—are critical to US competitiveness, security, and the US research enterprise, says a 2019 National Science Board report.

After the release of that 2019 report, the American Chemical Society launched its Strategic Initiative on Fostering a Skilled Technical Workforce, which focuses on “recruitment and engagement of a diverse group of students and potential employees to fulfill workforce needs in the chemical sciences.” Filling these vacant jobs requires a shift in messaging, increase in awareness, and better collaboration between relevant parties. The 2025 ACS president, Dorothy J. Phillips, has also made building chemistry careers inclusively the theme, or priority, for her presidential years.

“ACS has numerous, well-established education programs for nurturing the career plans of students starting in high school through graduate school, but these programs do not address the needs of the skilled technical workforce,” Phillips says. “ACS members are encouraged to participate in a growing awareness of chemical technical professionals as one of the many pathways to STEM careers. Many students do not realize that there is a demand for CTPs and that they do not need a bachelor’s degree to qualify for these jobs. As members of ACS, you can help attract and educate a diversity of students to become the vital chemical technical professionals of tomorrow.”

Chemical Technical Professionals Day, which is on May 22, is one way in which ACS hopes to raise awareness and engage and spotlight relevant parties, says Daniel Fonseca, chair of the ACS Committee on Chemical Technical Professionals. “CTPs are generally non-PhD professionals who play pivotal roles in lab support. They are the backbone of our industry, showcasing immense dedication and expertise.”

A committee of resources, recognition, and advancement

ACS’s strategic initiative in support of a skilled workforce is a recent measure, but the Committee on Chemical Technical Professionals, formally the Committee on Technician Affairs, has been around since 1964. Although the committee’s focus has shifted with the changes in ACS over the past 50-plus years, its goals today are to highlight the accomplishments of and enhance the image of CTPs through recognition and awards, create tools and disseminate information in support of the professional development of CTPs, and work with relevant parties inside and outside ACS to advance the CTP field.

Fonseca, whose experience is specific to industry but notes that the academic and government sectors are the same or similar, says that CTPs are predominantly doing the work that’s important to move a project forward. “Without a CTP, that essential data that is being mined is not able to be used, right?” Fonseca worked as a CTP for most of his career and then about 3½ years ago took on a project leader role. “So I’ve seen it from both sides. And when you’re in one role versus the other, you don’t always appreciate what one can do for the other,” he says. “Now that I’ve been on both sides, I appreciate my CTPs that I work with even more now. Because I know that side of the business and without them, I would not be able to do my job. . . . Without them, the work doesn’t get done.” CTPs also offer valuable insight that enables Fonseca to do his job well. “I’m not in the lab, so I can’t see what’s going on. If the CTP that I’m working with is like, Hey, I noticed that this doesn’t make sense and this is what I’m thinking, what are your thoughts? then we work together to come up with a solution. But if that was never brought to my attention, I wouldn’t know about it. They are the eyes and ears in the lab, and without them, [project leaders and managers] can’t make the proper decisions that we have to make.”

Fonseca has identified two main goals for the CTP committee to focus on this year: educate others on what a CTP is and identify and reach out to CTPs to share the benefits of being part of ACS and accessing the resources of the committee.

Fonseca admits that over the years it’s been hard for CTPs to find a voice within ACS, and one of those challenges has been in identifying which roles fit under the CTP umbrella—which he hopes the committee’s newly simplified definition helps. But Fonseca also named a few other solutions the society has implemented, such as the creation of the no-cost Community Associate membership option, which “is a good way that a CTP can get in the door.” The CTP committee has also worked on creating resources like justification letters that summarize the professional benefits of participating in an ACS spring or fall meeting, which CTPs can use to ask their boss for permission to attend, or a mentee playbook to help those in the profession get the most out of being mentored.

ACS has been running a social media campaign spotlighting CTPs leading up to Chemical Technical Professionals Day. Every other Friday, you can find posts across the main ACS channels recognizing exceptional individuals selected from a pool of CTPs nominated by their colleagues. Fonseca says the committee will continue to highlight CTPs throughout the year, even after the campaign ends, and they really hope this spotlighting and recognition extends throughout the ACS local sections as well to reinforce local community support.

A necessary triumvirate: high school, community colleges, and industry

The Strategic Initiative on Fostering a Skilled Technical Workforce is an effort of the ACS Chemical Education Division, which works to coordinate efforts across three parties that today are often disconnected but together form the foundation of a successful CTP workforce: high school teachers, community and 2- and 4-year college educators, and industry mentors.

High school teachers play a role in guiding students who are thinking about career paths; postsecondary institutions such as community and 2- and 4-year colleges offer programs for upskilling, job transitions, and work training; and then industry is prepared and ready to hire and train experts for open positions.

“Our main goal is to help folks understand [that] chemistry can be a valid profession for them, regardless of their education level, and they can find roles within the industry space,” says John-David Rocha, program manager for the ACS Fostering a Skilled Technical Workforce strategic initiative.

“Within chemistry, the need [for CTPs] is absolute and growing,” Rocha says. “Things are ever changing, of course, within the economy and the workforce, but regardless of that, we know that STEM is going to drive that forward for the country, for the world.” Rocha, who is a chemist by training and has held roles as a high school chemistry teacher and in academia and industry, says that chemistry is the heart and soul of everything we do, and regardless of field, every process is likely touched by chemistry in some way. He gives the examples of making products such as computer chips for computers, semiconductors, electrical contacts, new materials for electric vehicles or solar panels, or water filtration systems, and understanding environmental contaminants and clean air. “So that’s why it’s important for us overall.”

Rocha has taken his varied experience and is using it to create bridges. “I had a sense coming from [the academic background], but we’re seeing more the evidence and anecdotal discussions, that at community colleges and technical college campuses often there’s workforce development, which is tied towards the traditional vocational ideas and a few technical STEM criteria. And then you have chemistry programs or biology and biochem programs sitting on the other side of the campus, but they don’t talk to each other about how the reality of this science, and this chemistry is fundamental to what’s happening over here.” It’s a big task, but ideally, connecting those programs and skills together to support one another is something Rocha’s work can build.

This official day of spotlighting CTPs also allows for collaboration between ACS and the American Association of Chemistry Teachers and for connecting with initiatives Phillips is leading in her presidency. “It’s a way to continue to move the message of opportunities, and ultimately we want folks to be moving and seeing opportunities as chemical technical professionals.”