Chemical technician
A chemical technician is a professional who plays a critical role in various industries that involve the production, development, and analysis of chemical materials. Typically working in laboratories or industrial settings, their responsibilities include conducting experiments, maintaining equipment, and ensuring quality control of products. Education requirements generally include an associate degree in chemical technology, with further specialization available for those pursuing bachelor's degrees or advanced studies in fields like biochemistry or medical lab assistance.
Chemical technicians are employed in diverse sectors, including healthcare, manufacturing, environmental protection, and academia. Their work is increasingly important in addressing environmental concerns, particularly as industries look for more sustainable practices. The demand for chemical technicians is expected to remain stable, with growth opportunities emerging in green chemistry and biofuels. In addition to technical skills, ongoing professional education is often necessary to stay current in this evolving field. Overall, chemical technicians provide essential support across various scientific and industrial applications, making their role vital in the modern workforce.
Chemical technician
Earnings (Yearly Median): $56,750 per year (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023)
Employment and Outlook: 3% (As fast as average) (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023)
O*NET-SOC Code: 19-4031.00
Related Career Clusters: Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources; Education & Training; Health Science; Manufacturing
Scope of Work
Chemical technicians have a wide variety of career options in many fields. Since all matter is chemical in nature, the production and use of materials in any field or application can represent a career opportunity. Generally, chemical technicians work in industrial fields involving the manufacture, development, and manipulation of synthetic and natural materials, with their primary responsibilities being to carry out the work required for a particular process. This normally ranges from performing routine laboratory and work-space maintenance to monitoring sensitive operational processes. Academic institutions employ chemical technicians to prepare and maintain material supplies for use in teaching laboratories and perform routine sample preparation and spectroscopic analysis. Medical facilities employ chemical and biochemical technicians for similar functions in their respective work environments. In industry, chemical technicians work in production, materials manufacturing and processing, recycling, health and safety monitoring, and similar areas within a broader employment context. As the negative effects of many chemicals on the environment become more apparent, chemical technicians play an increasingly important role, working to assess the damage and determine new, more environmentally friendly ways of working with and disposing of chemicals.
Education and Coursework
The minimum educational requirement for a chemical technician is an associate degree in chemical technology. Such programs are often categorized by area of specialization, such as general chemistry, biochemistry, or medical laboratory assistance. Programs leading to a bachelor’s degree generally have a similar focus on a specific area, with a more in-depth theoretical focus; a bachelor’s degree more appropriately prepares an individual for an advanced career than does an associate degree,. Graduates of two-year programs who seek to advance in such a career will typically be required to undertake more advanced formal education to upgrade their qualifications.
In both cases, an aspiring chemical technician will be required to take courses in basic chemistry and the branch of chemistry relevant to his or her specific area of focus, as well as mathematics and statistics, analytical methodologies, and basic physics. Students may also be required to take courses in occupational health and safety, electronic control and monitoring systems, and computer science. More specialized fields such as medicine, biochemistry, and biology will also require courses of study in organic chemistry, biochemistry, biology, medical terminology, and biophysics. Training in some specialized areas, such as the manufacture of advanced composite materials (ACMs) from various chemical substances and resins, is available at only a small number of facilities in North America; such materials have become crucial components in the manufacture of aircraft, spacecraft, and military vehicles.
Career Enhancement and Training
Professional organizations in many different fields exist to support the work and careers of chemical technicians. Each organization has a segment of its operations devoted entirely to those who work as technicians and technologists within that field, and many stand-alone organizations exist as well. In North America, the American Chemical Society and the Chemical Institute of Canada are the primary organizations for chemists working in all branches of chemistry, and both are linked to subsector organizations devoted to chemical technicians and technology. Such support groups encourage young people to consider the field as a career choice and provide information and resources through their respective websites. Many organizations offer associate memberships for students.
Professional organizations such as the American Chemical Society expect their member technicians and technologists to maintain a certain standard of practice in their work, often requiring a program of continuing education. Membership also carries annual membership dues that go toward the publication of member-focused newsletters and other information of relevance, as well as the presentation of conferences and symposia. Such meetings are particularly valuable to individual members because of the professional networking opportunities that they provide.
Daily Tasks and Technology
The daily work of a chemical technician varies depending on the nature of the position held within an organization. In most cases, chemical technicians provide technical support and services related to research, analysis, and quality control. Often, a technician specializes in a single specific role within an organization and is not expected to provide services outside of that role. For example, a mass spectrometry technician in an analytical laboratory typically only services and maintains the spectrometers that he or she routinely uses, prepares samples for spectrometric mass analyses, and obtains the corresponding mass spectrographs that will be interpreted by the individuals who requested them. In an industrial production setting, chemical technicians may be responsible for testing the quality of input and output materials for a process stream to ensure that they are within the specified quality limits. This applies generally in a number of varied and specific applications, such as paint preparation, food processing, pharmaceutical synthesis, and plastics production, among others.
Regardless of the field in which they work, chemical technicians are expected to maintain a properly clean and safe working environment, write technical reports appropriate to the work that they carry out, clean and maintain laboratory equipment such as glassware that is used in their work, and maintain the stock of supplies and materials that are required in their work.
Earnings and Employment Outlook
Due in large part to the development of automated laboratory technology, the demand for chemical technicians is expected to experience slower-than-average growth between the years 2018 and 2028. Tasks that once required the work of several technicians over a period of days can now be carried out by a single automated system in a matter of minutes, and new systems are continually being developed. However, the increasing focus on green chemistry, which emphasizes sustainability, is not only changing the ways in which chemistry-based processes are carried out but also opening entirely new fields of employment. One such field is the developing biofuels industry, which will provide more employment opportunities for chemical technicians who have a broad knowledge of biochemical processes and biology. Similarly, the pharmaceutical and medical research industries are expected to provide many opportunities for chemical technicians with a background in biochemistry and bio-organic chemistry.
As of May 2023, in the top industries in which they worked, median annual wages were highest for chemical technicians working in research and development in physical engineering and life sciences, followed by those working in wholesale trade, educational services, and testing laboratories. Technicians in certain fields earned significantly more on average, no doubt due to the greater degree of specialized knowledge and education required. For most fields, employment is expected to remain fairly constant, while employment opportunities in areas related to environmental protection and the production of ACMs and biofuels are expected to increase significantly.
Related Occupations
• Environmental Science and Protection Technicians:Environmental Science Technicians work with environmental scientists and others to analyze pollution levels and prevent contamination in all sectors.
• Chemical Equipment Operators:Chemical equipment operators maintain and operate equipment used to perform chemical research or manufacture products.
• Soil and Plant Science Technicians: Soil and Plant Science Technician collect and analyze samples of soil and plants in order to determine the effects of various environmental and human factors, including soil composition and pollution, on plant growth.
• Food Science Technicians:Food science technicians analyze the chemical makeup of food in order to maintain and improve the quality of food materials for both human and animal consumption.
• Pest Control Technicians:Pest controllers use various chemical substances to manage or eliminate pest populations in homes, businesses, and other locations.
Future Applications
Chemical technicians are not confined to a particular industry or set of responsibilities, and as such, the opportunities for such workers will likely continue to expand even as growth in some industries slows. As public and industry interest in the environment and environmental regulation increases, chemical technicians will be needed to analyze and counteract the effects of outdated practices and technology on the natural world. For example, in the field of remediation, sites contaminated by chemical waste represent the failure of previous industries to adequately understand the intimate relationships between their activities and the environment,. The contaminants at such sites must be identified and removed to eliminate their toxic effects. Such clean-up efforts will likely continue for some time, as the widespread use of harmful chemicals for industrial and household applications persists. Advancements in the field of ACM production and the biofuels industry will provide additional opportunities for individuals with chemistry-based training. As countries, including the United States, have continued to set goals for reducing dependence on fossil fuels and increasing the use of energy from alternative sources, researchers have worked on converting organic material into biofuels.
Bibliography
“Chemical Technicians.” Occupational Outlook Handbook, Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States Department of Labor, 17 Apr. 2024, www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/chemical-technicians.htm. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.
"Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023: 19-4031 Chemical Technicians." Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment Statistics, United States Department of Labor, 3 Apr. 2024, www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes194031.htm. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.
“Summary Report for: 19-4031.00 - Chemical Technicians.” O*NET OnLine, 9 Apr. 2024, www.onetonline.org/link/summary/19-4031.00. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.