Abstract
THE important subject of the training of an industrial chemist was discussed by Mr. Thomas Donaldson in his address as chairman of the Glasgow Section of the Society of Chemical Industry at a meeting held jointly with the Glasgow Section of the Institute of Chemistry in the Royal Technical College, Glasgow, on March 1. Mr. Donaldson is general technical manager of the Explosives Group of Imperial Chemical Industries, Ltd., and though he made it clear that he was expressing his own personal opinions, his long industrial experience and his position as a governor of the Royal Technical College give him an opportunity of forming an unbiased opinion by being able to look at the problem from both sides. His chief criticism of the present system is that the training usually considered necessary to equip a man for chemical industry is too long. In Scottish universities a student of chemistry takes an honours degree requiring four years study and then normally pursues research leading to a doctorate. This research period extends over three years for a Ph.D. and then, at the age of about twenty-four years, the man endeavours to obtain an industrial position. Once in industry, it requires a further two years training before the man can be considered to be a thoroughly efficient member of his profession, since the university training has scarcely touched on industrial chemistry. Mr. Donaldson suggested that instead of the present system a man should take a three years pass degree, and he could then decide whether he would continue to pursue a technical career. If not, then, by two years training on the commercial side, he could become a thoroughly efficient technical salesman. If he decided to remain on the technical side he had two alternatives. He could complete his honours degree and do one year's post-graduate research, or he could take a two years course in applied chemistry. On this matter of starting research, Mr. Donaldson said that it is far more important that students should be trained in the methods of research rather than that they should solve any particular problem.
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Training the Industrial Chemist. Nature 135, 369 (1935). https://doi.org/10.1038/135369a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/135369a0