Austria
Chemie-Sommerschule für Lehrer (Chemistry summer course for teachers). Courses aimed at secondary school teachers.
Chemistry Olympics.
Projektwettbewerbe für Hauptschulen und Polytechnische Schulen. Competition in which high schools and polytechnic schools make projects on chemistry in daily life themes.
Pädagogenpreis. Prize for excellence in teaching and stimulating students’ interest in science.
Belgium
Essenscia website about chemical elements
BelgoBiotech, the professional section of Essenscia for biotechnology, launched another very interesting website about biotechnology. It gives a lot of information as a glossary, the description of the basic principles, applications, legislation and ethics.
Chemistry and the Young: a set of lectures in schools given by chemists, a senior chemist sometimes accompanied by a junior one (secondary school level).
Kit Plastics: a kit for experiments with plastics materials.
Chemistry Everyday: a video tape and a didactic set.
Chemistry and you: a series of brochures. Each publication contains a review of a theme linking chemistry and society. As examples: Chemistry and biotechnology, Chemistry and plastics, Chemistry and risks, Chemistry and chlorine, Chemistry and energy…
Essenscia issues a whole range of brochures and informative leaflets on topics linked to chemistry for students and teachers.
Essenscia stimulates contact between companies and students (career opportunities, Responsible Care, etc.) through an image campaign and an open door action of the sector every four or five years.
New website on job profiles in chemistry, with descriptions of jobs in the chemical sector, a job matrix, etc.
Bulgaria
Bulgarian Chamber of Chemical Industry (BCCI) has recently prepared a new website under the programme of CHEMLEG project where information is supplied to the member companies about legal requirements in European Union and Bulgaria for safety and environmentally friendly management of chemicals.
Step by step establishment of Information Centre is planned to be established at Bulgarian Chamber of Chemical Industry, jointly using the facilities of the Bulgarian Industrial Association and the University of Chemical Technology & Metallurgy-Sofia. At the moment number of legal European and Bulgarian acts and Guidbooks for implementation of European Chemical Legislation are available. Plan for further developments are on the way. BCCI expect help in this area from Cefic and different Bulgarian Authorities.
On the base of Contract Agreement approved new teaching module is introduced in the magisterial course “MANAGEMENT OF CHEMICALS AND LIFE CYCLE OF MATERIALS”.
Regional and companies working meetings regularly are held in relation of implementation of Responsible Care initiative.
Chemistry for better environment and sustainable development. A series of brochures are planed to be prepared and published for use by company’s experts and for public information.
Workshop on the topic “Catalysis and catalysts for better Environment”. Bulgarian Academy of Sciences /Institute of Catalysis/ with the support of BCCI will organize international event for exchange of information and presentation of new developments in the area.
Czech Republic
Chemistry for Future – Educational Film. Documentary film for students of secondary schools of chemistry and grammar schools – expanding understanding of the basic knowledge and latest scientific achievements in the field of chemistry.
National Technical Museum, Section of Chemistry. Exponates plenishment by SCHP CR member companies. For general public, high school and universities students and citizens. Establishment of study centre of historical documents describing development of chemistry and chemical industry.
AGROFERT HOLDING Prize (2nd annual round 2002 announced SCHP CE and AGROFERT HOLDING) of the best Diploma and Thesis in the field of chemistry.
Educhem system. The Chemopetrol company and the Institute of Chemical Technology closely co-operate in the education of young industrial technical operational staff and the lower tertiary level education of engineers for chemical and related industries. This programme is based on sharing both experimental facilities and the teaching staff from both the industrial company and the higher education institution.
Estonia
EKTL and Tallinn Technical University (TTU) have made a co-operation agreement in the field of information on development and specialist training. In this agreement, the involvement of TTU’s intellectual capacities is considered to be very important in the development of Estonian chemical industry.
Finland
Education and Training Strategy. Owing to a generation change over the next ten years, the Finnish chemical industry will need a lot of innovative and competent young people at all levels in the new millennium. The Finnish chemical industry anticipates the needs of skills and takes stand on and wields influence on educational policy decisions. The sector’s joint education and training strategy was published in 1999.
In 1998, the Chemical Industry Federation of Finland initiated the project “Chemistry today!” to sharpen chemistry teachers’ awareness of chemical industry and current research. Training seminars are organised yearly to acquaint teachers with current chemical industry and research.
Chemical industry career event. In connection with the yearly Chemistry exhibition at the Finnish Fair in November, the Chemical Industry Federation of Finland arranges a happening for chemistry students and others interested in a career in the chemical industry. This event is also directed to teachers on different levels, to give them current information about career opportunities.
Komppa-seminar for best students at the yearly chemistry competition for upper secondary schools. The Chemical Industry Federation of Finland and the Chemical Society of Finland will invite about 30 upper secondary school students with their teachers to a two-day event to acquaint them with current chemical industry and research. In the next Komppa-seminar in May 2002 the guests will visit Kemira Research Center, Fortum Oil and Gas and the chemistry faculty at Helsinki University. (The event is called Komppa seminar according to a known Finnish chemist Gustav Komppa, who invented the total synthesis of camphor in 1904.)
Network of industry representatives co-operating with local schools. In order to promote best practices of education-industry partnership, the federation has built a network of people working in the member companies, who are responsible for the initiatives on the local level. Information is distributed through the network by printed material, by the Federation’s extranet and in seminars to be arranged about once a year.
Information material about education in the field of biotechnology. In co-operation with Finnish Bioindustries we have produced a leaflet about vocational and university education in the field of biochemistry. This information is distributed to the young people through science teachers and career advisers.
E-learning material on Biotechnology. In co-operation with the Economic Information Office, Finnish Bioindustries and Finnish Technology Agency an e-learning package has been produced for the upper secondary level. The material (in Finnish) will be available in March.
Website for teachers. In 2002 the Chemical Industry Federation of Finland has started a website project. Our aim is to gather all the organisations in Finland working for chemistry and build with them a site (a portal) through which the teachers on different levels of education will find information about chemical industry, chemical research, chemistry teaching and learning, etc.
Chemistry in the society. Course for chemistry students studying to become chemistry teachers. In spring 2002 this course is offered for the first time in the chemistry faculty of Helsinki University. The aim is to present to the students the importance of natural sciences, especially chemistry, in different fields of our society. The Chemical Industry Federation of Finland has been involved in planning the contents of the course, and also offers lecturers and company contacts for the project exercises.
France
France Chimie, la classe. A national educational programme to help schoolchildren in primary school learn the role played by chemistry in their daily life.
Conférences dans les Lycées. Each year, 750 lectures given to students of secondary schools on chemistry and chemical industry.
Olympiades nationales de la chimie. A competition for 2,800 students both organised at regional and national levels. It is generally related to a topic illustrating a field of application of chemistry (health, food, sports, arts…).
Chimirama. A portal for teachers and schoolchildren of secondary schools.
Déclic-chimie: an information campaign for young people about education in apprenticeship and block release training in chemical companies.
Village de la chimie: a mix of regional shows, conferences, debates with young people to promote jobs and careers in the chemical industry.
Chimie naturellement (chemistry naturally): an international travelling exhibition about science and chemistry application in daily life (age 12 years and above) (French and English language), designed by the Science Museum of Rennes (Bretagne) – Espace des Sciences – UIC sponsoring.
Chimie, industrie, environnement: maitrisez les risques ( chemistry, industry, environment: control the risks) : a travelling exhibition (age 12 years and above) for medium-sized cultural and scientific public centres, designed by the Science Museum of Pays de l’Adour (South of France) – Lacq Odyssée – regional UIC sponsoring.
Fête de la Science (science festival): contribution of UIC net to yearly public events, in October.
Germany
“Blue Genes”. A kit which enables high school teachers to perform basic experiments of gene analysis and cloning at school. With the equipment and the reagents provided in the kit the class can perform a restriction analysis, cloning, and expression experiments of a bacterial gene.
“Experimenierkasten Kuno”. This kit has been developed for children of classes 2-4 in primary schools. Properties and applications of plastics are presented in a non-fiction book for children. Experiments can be carried out by children by themselves.
“Experimenierkasten Tini und Toni” has been created for children of classes 2-6 in primary schools. Simple chemical experiments are presented in a booklet for children. The experiments can be carried out by children by themselves.
Weekend seminars and congresses for chemistry teachers are organised by the regional associations of the VCI.
A “Newsletter” for chemistry teachers is published three times a year. The newsletter contains information from the chemical industry and other sources.
“Schulpartnerschaft Chemie”. A brochure for chemistry teachers. It contains best practice examples from the school promotion programme Schulpartnerschaft Chemie (School Partnership Chemistry) of the Fonds der Chemischen Industrie (German Chemical Industry Fund).
“Kuchen, Flirt und Nanowelten”. A brochure which shows the important role of chemistry in our everyday life. Examples: health, textiles, energy, communication.
“Chemie im Fokus”. A website for career opportunities and information about study of chemistry. This site is a joined activity between VCI and the German association of chemists.
For additional information concerning the formation in Chemistry and related fields (description of jobs, information on firms regarding formation, etc.) please have a look at the website of “Chemie 4you”, a joint initiative of the German chemistry employers association.
“Mentoring-projects“. Financial support of partnerships between schools and institutions, such as chemistry departments of universities or chemical firms, for their establishment of e. g. permanent labs for pupils, science camps and other co-operations or activities intended to give children/pupils a realistic picture of the various job outlines in Chemistry and the requirements necessary for these jobs.
“International Olimpics in Chemistry”. Financial support of the 2004 Chemistry Contest in which especially talented pupils of schools for general-education solve scientific problems, investigate independently and develop new ideas.
“Informationsserien”. Transparency series dealing with special topics of interest out of sectors, such as chemistry, environment, biotechnology, etc. The folios can be ordered free of charge by teachers/schools.
For additional information concerning German activities please have a look at the website of “Bildungsinitiative Chemie”, a joint initiative of the German chemistry trade union, the German chemistry employers association, the German association of chemists and the VCI.
Greece
Member of the Organizing Committee on the 1st Symposium on the evolution of Chemistry as a science and a profession by the Association of Greek Chemists.
Collaboration with the Universities and the Association of Greek Chemists on the formation on the teaching syllabus programme for Chemistry.
Delivering a series of informative speeches and lectures on the importance of chemistry and the contribution of the Hellenic Chemical Industry in the economy and environment before the audience of universities in Athens prefecture and beyond, followed by the assignment of field studies to students on the Responsible Care by the Athens Technical University.
For further information concerning support of chemical education please have a look at the website of the Fonds der Chemischen Industrie (German Chemical Industry Fund)
Ireland
Promotion of Chemistry in Schools Project (PCSP) – with a multimedia careers package in February 2000, comprising a video for class use and CD-ROM for individual use. The overall aim of the project is to identify successful intervention strategies in Irish schools for increasing the uptake of Leaving Certificate chemistry courses.
In October of 2000 a Skills Review Group was selected with representatives from industry, public bodies and educators to establish and deliver a programme to address:
- The decreasing uptake of chemistry in an overall declining total pool of potential students.
- The third level science students choice of careers outside of the pharmachem industry.
In February of 2002 we employed a full time science education officer to liase with students, public etc and co-ordinate promotional information to educators and students.
IPCMF have agreed to fund the development of a careers package (chemistry) for second level schools.
Italy
Premio Nazionale “Federchimica Giovani”. Dedicated to school students aged between 11 and 19 years old.
“To live with Chemistry”. A video about the importance of chemistry for the daily life.
“Orientagiovani”. Vocational guidance meetings targeted at students of the last class of the secondary school level (13 – 14 years old) and at the last class of high school level (18-19 years old). The aim is to steer them into study of chemistry.
“Fabbriche Aperte”. The opening of chemical plants to students, from primary to high school level. The aim is to enable young people to know the different realities of chemical industry and to understand how industry works. Moreover the objective is to improve their opinion on chemistry.
Netherlands
This website provides examples of people working in the chemical industry and other chemical professions.
“Working in the chemical industry”. This brochure aims to interest high school students in professions in the chemical sector.
VNCI studiebeurzen. Student grants.
VNCI Scholenadoptie Project. This project aims at structural co-operation between VNCI member companies and secondary schools in their immediate surroundings. The main goal is to give new impulse to teaching chemistry and stimulating young people to become interested in the subject.
Periodic Table of the Elements, secondary education – The natural appearance and the use of the elements are illustrated on a colourful poster and on a small version for students.
Meet the Boss is a meeting of young people with a boss of a chemical company. Classes from 4 different schools discuss with the boss, and with each other, chemistry in the broadest sense and about the chemical industry in particular. The meeting is set in a debating contest.
Leermeester-en Gezelprijs, secondary education. This prize is created for both students and their teachers. Students are stimulated to participate with their end term paper, on condition that a chemical company has participated in the subject of this paper. On the other side, teachers are stimulated to create new educational material or to make the existing material more attractive.
C3 (Chemistry Communication Centre) Foundation. The main objective of the C3 Foundation is to inform the public about all aspects of chemistry. It is cofounded by the teachers association, the association of chemist and the VNCI. C3 also prepares teaching material for different age groups.
Norway
The PIL College. PIL’s own distance learning school offers courses and training schemes to the employees in the Process Industry within leadership, vocational training, lifelong learning, and occupational pedagogics.
Training offices. A training office is a way to organise collaboration between companies about vocational training and information about crafts, professions and educations. The training office will have a full time engaged officer who will provide coordination of and continuity in the information activities. Today the process industry companies have 10 training offices which cover 13 of total 19 regions in Norway.
Business at school – partnership agreements. Agreements between schools/colleges and companies where the main purpose is to promote better knowledge among pupils, students and teachers related to industry, professions and education. More and more the agreements also include how to make use of the company in the mathematic and science teaching.
Agreements between Teacher training colleges and companies which include student practice in the company.
Industry – education meeting places. Meeting places where science teachers, scientists and other representatives for industrial companies meet 6 to 10 times a year to listen to lectures and discuss scientific questions. The purpose is to establish contact between the teachers and the industrialists who make use of scientific knowledge.
PIL organises yearly conferences for chemistry teachers in vocational colleges.
Poland
Environment friendly coking plant. A project aiming in increasing awareness of school children of the technological changes done in the local coking plant towards pollution reduction. It resulted with a supplementary teaching material.
Spain
Premio Feique a la Educación Científica. Award for science education.
Creation and distribution of didactic material. FEIQUE has edited different didactic material for schools. This material has been delivered to all the schools in Spain (8.000).
- “Chemistry and Life”. 18 pages brochure that describes the importance of chemicals in different areas (Health, Sports, Art, Computer…).
- “Chemistry and Life. Responsible Care”. 20 minutes video divided in two parts. First one is a day in the life of a family, and it shows how chemicals are inside everything to improve its quality of life. Second part explains Responsible Care and its contribution to improve environment, safety and health.
- “Chemistry and us”. 25 minutes video that describes the evolution of chemistry and what chemicals do for us. This video and its delivering has been subsidized by the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Todo es Química (Everything is Chemistry). This is a travelling exhibition of 300 m2 that is going to be shown in the most important Science and Technology Museums of Spain until 2005 (started in 2001). It is divided in different zones (Chemistry and Health, Chemistry and Food, Chemistry and Transport…) and visitors can see and touch to understand that everything has “molecules inside”. The exhibition has been sponsored by 20 chemical companies.
Área Educativa (Education Area). At FEIQUE´s website, teachers and scholars can find varied information and help on chemistry and chemicals, including the possibility of asking for didactic material (videos and brochures).
APQUA (Aprendizaje de los productos químicos, sus Usos y Aplicaciones) (Chemical Education for Public Understanding Program). An educational project which operates as an integral part of the Chemical Engineering Department of the University Rovira i Virgili, and is supported through contributions from industry and private and governmental foundations.
ETSEQ / Dow Chemical Co. Partnership. A paper describing the strategy, structures, and enabling systems to re-engineer the entire engineering programme and the teaching and learning processes in such a way that science and engineering knowledge and skills can be acquired simultaneously and through social skills.
Sweden
Chemical Industry Research School. The Chemical Industry Research School provides a unique opportunity for doctoral candidates to carry out their postgraduate study in a small company.
Company visits. In a collaboration with Cefic, a publication called “Educational site visits for schools” has been produced. It’s a guide for companies how to arrange site visits for schools. The examples of good practice from Sweden can be found in the Swedish language as well.
Educational material. For the age appr. between 9-11 years Kemikontoret and its affiliate Kemifrämjandet has developed the figure and concept “Gilbert”. In the publication “Chemistry is Magic or The Saga of Gilbert” ten exciting chapters with accompanying experiments are presented. There’s also a second similar publication plus a simple guide for the teacher. Furthermore there’s a CD-ROM game; “Gilbert and the chemystical island”. The publications and the CD-ROM game are translated to English. For the age 15-17 years Kemikontoret has helped the company Bonniers to translate and transform the English material “Salters A-level Chemistry”.
Video material. Kemikontoret has produced a short video (11 min) called “Framtidslabbet” (The laboratory of the future) presenting three co-workers representing three different companies from the Swedish chemistry industry. The video is suitable for 13-14 years as well as 17-19 years, i.e. before their first and second choice in the educational “tree”. Kemikontoret has also been a co-producer for a similar video presenting the engineer of today (and the future).
Olympiade. Kemikontoret organizes the Swedish part of the Cefic Science Education Award.
Kemins Dag. An annual activity is the “Chemistry Day” (Kemins Dag in Swedish). Kemikontoret has the function as coordinator and provides support for schools that participates in this activity. Every third year the chemistry industry in Sweden opens up their doors this day too, quite often in the shape of an “open house”-activity at the local company site.
Turkey
Chemical Industry and High School Education. Seminar for school teachers.
Environment, Health and Safety. Responsible Care formal curriculum courses at Technical Universities in Istanbul and Izmir.
Annual Cefic Science Award Competition throughout the country.
Periodical Table. Color poster-size prints for high schools.
Chemicals and Chemical Industry. Conferences for middle education schools.
United Kingdom
Speakers Bureau. A programme which puts speakers from industry in contact with all sorts of audiences, from the media to schools and local community groups. A booklet Living Chemistry, which exemplifies the benefits chemistry and the chemical industry bring to modern life supports the talks.