Technicians Craft a Promising Future

Chemical technicians play a key role on industrial teams, focusing on the practical matters of scientific experimentation and research. Although they may not have advanced degrees, chemical technicians can take a concept and make it real. They are often the go-to team members-operating standard laboratory equipment, performing tests and experiments, and troubleshooting production problems, as well as writing up results and delivering presentations about their work.

There are generally two types of chemical technicians: laboratory technicians and process technicians. Laboratory technicians are involved in research and development, whether developing new products or modifying existing products, and in application labs. Process technicians oversee the operation and maintenance of increasingly sophisticated manufacturing equipment, often assuming responsibilities for analysis.

The kinds of roles filled by technicians vary widely: Technicians can work in quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC); process development; good laboratory practice (GLP) studies; research, development, and engineering; environmental labs; waste control; and wastewater and treatment, to name just a few. Technicians are found in various industry sectors such as pharmaceuticals, polymers, electronics, paints, and soaps. They are employed in companies of all sizes and also work in government and academia.

Kirk P. Hunter is chair-elect of the American Chemical Society Division of Chemical Technicians and is a member of the ACS Committee on Technician Affairs (CTA) and the ACS Chemical Technology Program Approval Service. He is also chair of the chemical/environmental laboratory technology department at Texas State Technical College, Waco. Chemical technicians are professionals, Hunter says. I see them as the interface between the chemist and the experiment, the data, or the process. They are doing most of the work, collecting data, making sure processes are operating efficiently, and ensuring product quality.

Today's technician is the chemist of 25 years ago, observes John Engelman, who has had a varied career as a technician for more than 40 years at Dow Corning, Dow Chemical, and currently at S. C. Johnson & Son, Racine, Wis. He is also the CTA chair. It used to be that many technicians were assigned to analytical labs where they did one or two tests. When I started out, most technicians either went to the analytical lab or worked in quality control. They were seldom seen in a research environment, but now they're working all segments, from the QA lab to product development.

Technicians are no longer just a pair of hands, he adds. The biggest change I've seen is they're now part of the team, running the lab portion of the job and reporting the data. As a result, technicians have more autonomy, responsibility, and accountability than they had in the past.

John Galiotos, chair of the biotechnology, chemical, instrumentation, and process technology department at Houston Community College, Northeast, in Texas, agrees. The expectations employers have of chemical technicians have increased, and now there is more decision-making and participation in research projects. he says. They're also expected to learn about new equipment and emerging and evolving technologies. And they have to be able to produce and respond to industry needs. Technicians are the right hands of the Ph.D. chemists.

While chemical technicians' professional preparation is similar to that of chemists', the majority earn a two-year associate's degree from a science technology program. These programs are primarily hands-on, training students in analytical instrumentation and techniques they are likely to encounter in the workplace. If you were to look at our curriculum, Hunter says, it would look like the first two years of an undergraduate chemistry degree, but there is an emphasis on applications work that the students would perform as technicians.

In Galiotos' program, for example, students log approximately 96 hours of laboratory time in a one-semester course. They encounter in the lab materials that they will find on the job. A distillation experiment, for example, may be performed with crude oil rather than the ethanol that students studying for a bachelor's might work with. After separating the various substances, the students will then study the chemistry of the substances that make up crude oil.

Most two-year science technology programs collaborate closely with industry partners to ensure that the curricula are covering the skills and competencies that industry needs. At a 2004 conference on critical issues in laboratory technology education, the highest priority identified was forming alliances among industry and academe. The benefits of these alliances are clear: Students are better prepared for the professional world, and industry can directly influence the technology education curriculum and have access to a recruiting pool that meets its needs.

Our alliance focuses on regional as opposed to local needs of industry, says Joan Sabourin, cochair of the chemical technology program at Delta College, in Michigan, and a member of the ACS Chemical Technology Program Approval Service. If we look at the regional needs, there is a core curriculum that all laboratory technicians need.This permits graduates to hire into regional rather than just local industry. Then, we locally can provide specialty courses, depending on what industry is in the area. In Michigan alone, we have a variety of industries including chemical, pharmaceutical, food, paper and pulp, and plastics manufacturing. All of these have some specialty topic needs relating to the various industries. Students can earn an advanced certificate in these specialty areas after they receive an associate in applied science degree. These additional courses could even lead to a higher degree.

Alliances are valuable for identifying gaps in the curriculum, Sabourin adds. We're including some process technology skills, such as piping and instrument diagrams, environmental health and safety topics, and ethics in the workplace, because when people move into the workplace, they need a diverse set of skills. There are many smaller start-up companies that are hiring, and, because of their size, the laboratory technicians need to have a range of skills that encompass laboratory, process, and environmental technology. Basically, the lab techs are doing what B.S. chemists used to do, and we're teaching students to do this in two years, she says. Thisnecessitates strong articulation agreements between high schools and community colleges for a smooth transition into chemical technology programs.

Industry input also uncovers cross-training opportunities in the program. Sabourin says that, at her institution, they have been teaching introduction to chemical technology and chemical process technology together because process technicians can see what laboratory technicians do and vice versa. As stronger alliances develop, we can provide additional course work needed by our industrial partners. Our chemical technology program remains completely transferable to all the universities in Michigan so that employed chemical technicians can continue their education.

Hunter says his school's partners include companies such as GE Water Technologies, Albemarle, and Conoco Phillips. Periodically, we survey our industry partners to identify gaps in the curriculum for areas we need to change or eliminate, he says. As a result, we have the capability to respond very quickly and prepare students for the jobs that industry needs filled right now. The relationships with industry are the strength of two-year colleges, because we can adjust the curriculum to respond to those needs. He adds that, many years ago when Total Quality Management and Six Sigma were becoming popular, some of the industry partners let him know that the students ought to know about such quality assurance tools. It all boils down to relationships, he says. These exchanges are very valuable to us.

Hunter notes that graduates of his program have a 100% placement rate. If you look at most two-year colleges, you'll find a similar rate, he says. That is because we are paying attention to industry needs. If we don't meet those needs, our graduates don't find work.

Part of the value of the associate's degree to me was I had the ability to move between industries, Engelman says. Technicians have a general understanding of chemistry and enough math to be able to become productive rapidly, no matter what the business or industry is. They've been in school long enough to learn how to hit the ground running, and most are pretty quick studies.

Another example of an industry-academic partnership to meet workforce needs is the program Galiotos managed with the analytical/QA/QC division of Goodyear Tire & Rubber at the firm's Houston Ship Channel plant. This December, seven technicians from Goodyear will graduate from his program with a certificate in chemical laboratory technology and a certificate in polymer technology. They will continue for one more year to earn their associate in applied science degree in chemical laboratory technology. The program has been so successful that Goodyear plans to send more technicians.

Galiotos says students who are hired by these and other companies also serve as members of his program's advisory committee. Lately, there has been a demand for graduates who know how to operate analytical instruments. The advisory committee suggested a two-semester advanced certificate in chemical analytical instrumentation; that certificate includes applied instrumentation courses, analytical chemistry, an introduction to chemical technology, and an internship or a project.

A number of two-year associate's degree programs are designed to provide easy transfer to a four-year college or university, if desired. Galiotos says he is finalizing an arrangement with Prairie View A&M University, in Texas, so his graduates can transfer into the chemical engineering program there to earn a four-year degree.

Some companies prefer to hire chemists with bachelor's degrees. One example is Novartis: We have significantly different expectations than in years past, says Patrick Drumm, executive director of analytical research and development at Novartis Pharmaceuticals, East Hanover, N.J. In the R&D environment, we expect scientists to be independent, innovative, and creative. The work has changed, and it's more dynamic and efficiency-driven. We're doing one-of-a-kind syntheses; they are designed one time at the lab scale, then moved to the pilot-plant scale. It's to our advantage to have one person who can follow that synthesis from the lab to the pilot plant.

We would definitely consider top-notch candidates from two-year programs, he says. However, we have a vision of a flexible workforce because we see considerable efficiencies and advantages to having that flexibility. We need chemists to work in process R&D, pilot-plant operations, and analytical R&D. Ideally, we want to hire chemists who can work in at least two of these areas. To achieve this flexible workforce, we need people with significant chemistry understanding-organic, physical, and analytical-to be able to independently and creatively contribute to our work.

Technicians today are doing work that was once assigned only to degreed scientists. The changes in responsibilities and expectations for technicians that have occurred during the past 10 years are expected to continue for the next 10 years. Rapid technological advancements will require technicians to enter the workforce with a solid foundation of chemistry and math skills, well-developed written and oral communication skills, and a commitment to continuing education.