National Careers Week 2025

Get ready for National Careers Week, taking place between 3–8 March 2025, with all the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) has to offer. We’ve updated our A Future in Chemistry job profiles with the key information under 18s care about to help increase the number of students progressing into the chemical sciences. We’ve also published findings for you from the Future workforce and education pathways project to help you explain the benefits of a chemistry career to young people.

Improving interest in chemistry as a career

In 2024, the RSC’s careers team surveyed learners about what matters most to them when making decisions about their future careers. Based on this feedback and the Future workforce and educational pathways report, the team created a new layout for the A Future in Chemistry profiles. The profiles now includes the salary range, job locations, information on work-life balance, career progression, qualifications, training and skills required. Six profiles currently feature this information – and there are more to come – including:

• Beth, chemistry engineer in the nuclear sector
• Gary, quality officer in genomics research
• Sharlotte, technical service chemist in cosmetics
• Aruna, senior software developer
• Paul, senior science manager in food
• Taryn, scientist in food and pharmaceuticals

In preparation for National Careers Week, why not explore the A Future in Chemistry teachers and careers advisers’ area where you can find the latest research on the skills to succeed in the future chemical science workforce. You can also find:

• eight posters for you to display in your school. Engage your students and show real-life case studies of chemists who are making a difference, featuring a head of research and sustainability, a laboratory analyst for water and a battery research fellow.
• classroom slides, including a career quiz and guess the career activity.
• curriculum maps to embed in your lessons all year, connecting classroom learning to future jobs and career paths. We have maps for GCSE, National 5 and GCE exam boards.

Join us at the Virtual Careers Fair

The National Careers Week website offers lots of support, including a virtual careers fair where the RSC will host a stand. Students can access our newest and most relevant careers information in one handy page. They can watch video case studies, learn about university and apprenticeship routes into industry, find salary details, explore work experience opportunities and local chemistry employers, and discover how the RSC supports chemists throughout their careers. Share the virtual careers fair countdown with your classes and prepare for 3–8 March.

Alternative ways to engage students with careers

If you can’t get students off their phones, then encourage them to browse the RSC TikTok. As well as fun chemistry explainers and experiments, students can discover lots of careers videos, including:

• Sharlotte, who work in cosmetics and explains what her favourite things are about her job
• Kasia, who is a degree apprentice and explains why she loves earning while learning
• A chemistry career inspo playlist at the top of our TikTok page, collating our full range of shortened video cases studies.

Recommend the 10-minute A Future in Chemistry game, which provides career inspiration based on young people’s hobbies and interests, too. Their results will show learners possible careers paths using our real-life case studies, plus encourage them to explore more of the A Future in Chemistry website, such as study options at 14–16, post-16 and older.

Our employers and science park map is another great tool to helps students discover the variety of chemistry companies that are on their doorstep. You could ask them to choose a local company and research what they do, how their work ties into their science lessons and how the company is making a difference to the world.

And if you’re a primary school teacher, use the Steps into Science STEM careers and skills activities to introduce jobs and encourage younger learners to think about how their skills relate to science.