Confronting the UK chemistry skills crisis to meet sustainability ambitions

The UK has set itself an ambitious course: net-zero by 2050, leadership in green technologies, and economic resilience through advanced manufacturing and sustainable materials. In all of these, chemistry is indispensable; from designing next-generation batteries to developing circular manufacturing processes and bio-based materials. 

However, these aspirations are colliding with a sobering reality. The national talent pipeline for chemical sciences is growing thinner, weakened by sustained disinvestment in higher education, reduced student intake and diminishing capacity for hands-on, interdisciplinary training. A decade from now, the UK may face a situation where the technical expertise required to meet its own sustainability goals simply does not exist in the UK. 

Chemistry at the heart of sustainable transformation

Chemistry is not a single sector but a connecting discipline, enabling progress in clean energy, resource efficiency, pharmaceuticals and digital health. It is the science that turns policy slogans into working prototypes, and prototypes into industrial-scale solutions. 

The UK’s 2025 Modern Industrial Strategy identifies eight priority sectors, many of which rely fundamentally on chemical sciences. But ambitions in hydrogen energy, critical materials recycling, sustainable manufacturing and environmental remediation cannot advance without chemists who combine deep technical skill with systems thinking, digital fluency and sustainability considerations. These capabilities, which are cultivated over years, are increasingly under threat. 

UK resilience through scientific sovereignty

The past five years have exposed the fragility of global supply chains and the geopolitical risks of overreliance on overseas scientific capacity. Energy price shocks, raw material shortages and the race for clean technology patents have underscored the need for domestic capability. 

Foundational sciences such as chemistry are central to building that resilience. Without strong home-grown expertise, the UK risks dependency on imported technologies, reduced capacity to respond to crises, and the forfeiting of economic and strategic advantages. Investment in chemistry education and research is, therefore, not an academic luxury, it is a national security imperative. 

The decline of academic capacity

Since 2019, the number of UK universities offering undergraduate chemistry has fallen by over a quarter.​The closure of the University of Hull’s department in 2024, once ranked fourth nationally, is emblematic of a sector under severe pressure. The decision marked the loss of a department with a long-standing tradition of high-quality teaching and strong ties to regional industry, given its location near one of the UK’s largest chemical clusters.​Similar announcements at other UK-based universities, including Aston, Reading and Bradford, show that this is not an isolated event but part of a structural decline.​

Even before department closures, the UK chemical sciences workforce numbered approx. 314,000, supporting 1.4 million jobs in chemistry-linked industries. A recent Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) report, Future workforce and educational pathways, noted that future projections anticipate growth of 6.5% in chemistry-related roles over the next decade, exceeding the pace of general workforce growth by 30%. Course closures and declining enrolment puts this entire trajectory at risk. 

Even when departments remain open, rising costs of laboratory-based teaching and declining enrolment have forced reductions in staff and course offerings. This narrows both the quantity and quality of training, reducing opportunities for practical and interdisciplinary learning. 

The Royal Society of Chemistry’s CEO Dr Helen Pain has also re-enforced the message, warning that these cuts threaten both staff livelihoods and student futures, deeply affecting the UK’s research excellence and, by extension, environmental and societal progress. 

Compounding the problem, 30% of UK state secondary schools report insufficient specialist chemistry teachers, limiting the inspiration and preparation of future cohorts.​The result is a self-reinforcing cycle: fewer teachers lead to fewer A‑level students, which leads to smaller university cohorts and, ultimately, reduced national capacity. 

Is the UK producing enough graduates in chemistry to meet future demand? The evidence suggests not. And among those who do graduate, the alignment between university training and industrial needs is changing as the world transitions to green and sustainable solutions using multi-disciplinary approaches. 

Industry’s struggle to recruit and retain

Industry now finds itself compensating for educational gaps, bearing more responsibility for skills training. UK industry needs scientists who are not only technically excellent but also equipped to operate in the complex, systems-oriented environments that green transitions demand. That means strong foundations in core scientific disciplines, but also fluency in areas like data science, policy, systems engineering and sustainability assessments. Summer industry placements and apprenticeships help support this, but these require investment, infrastructure and alignment across education, research and business. 

With domestic talent shortfalls, it would be expected that UK companies are increasingly recruiting from abroad. However, visa frameworks impose burdens with minimum-salary thresholds, often limiting access to early-career overseas talent, where UK salaries can often fall short of comparators in the EU and USA.​Without policy reform, UK companies will struggle to secure the talent they need to compete. 

A long-term approach

To reverse the current decline, the UK needs a coordinated, long-term skills strategy that positions chemistry as a critical enabler of sustainable growth. That means reinvesting in chemistry and materials science, reframing these disciplines as essential to the country’s future, not as declining legacy fields. The current trajectory of academic disinvestment and industry struggle must be reversed. Key priorities should include: 

• Sustained funding for university departments to preserve and grow teaching and research capacity. 

• Incentives for interdisciplinary education, particularly in areas aligned with sustainability and circular economy goals. 

• Support for industry-academic partnerships that provide real-world training pathways. 

Without urgent action, the UK risks losing not only its scientific capacity but also its credibility as a leader in green innovation. Rebuilding the talent pipeline is not optional, it is the only path to a sustainable, secure and prosperous future. 

Bridging the gap: the role of translational hubs and apprenticeships

Apprenticeship providers exemplify how integrated skills development can begin to tackle this challenge. By combining industrial pilot facilities with multidisciplinary teams, CPI advances green chemistry innovations while training scientists to operate at the critical stages where most innovations fail. 

Currently, the sector is facing significant pressures. Apprenticeship starts have fallen by 16% from 4,150 to 3,480 which is likely driven in large part by a reduction in opportunities within SMEs, who make up 76% of science employers. This decline reflects a combination of structural barriers and sector specific challenges.specific challenges. 

A Science Industry Partnership report published in 2025 found that SMEs require targeted incentives, simplified access to funding and improved awareness of the strategic benefits of apprenticeships. Collaboration with larger enterprises can help to bolster resources, provide mentorship and create clearer progression pathways. At the same time, training programmes must be aligned with industry needs, particularly in relation to advanced skills and emerging technologies. 

Central to this effort are CPI apprenticeships, which provide hands-on experience in real industrial settings, equipping the next generation of chemists with practical skills, systems thinking and exposure to cutting-edge technologies. These programmes directly address the UK’s skills gap, creating a pipeline of talent ready to support sustainable manufacturing, energy transition and advanced materials development. By linking education with industry in this way, apprenticeships at CPI not only strengthen individual careers but also help secure the UK’s long-term leadership in chemistry-driven innovation. 

CPI outreach

CPI works closely with local Chemistry departments at our higher education partner institutions to support their outreach activity and strengthen careers education. These partnerships are valuable; skill shortages are a national challenge that cannot be solved by isolated initiatives. A coordinated, systemwide approach is required to build a sustainable talent pipeline. Early intervention is particularly important, with greater encouragement needed to help students understand the value of continuing science education beyond the age of 16.wide approach is required to build a sustainable talent pipeline. Early intervention is particularly important, with greater encouragement needed to help students understand the value of continuing science education beyond the age of 16. 

Crucially, ongoing funding shortages are hampering the very interventions needed to reverse these trends. Schools, colleges, universities and SMEs all report that constrained budgets limit their ability to run outreach programmes, invest in laboratory capacity, offer industrial placements, or dedicate staff time to partnership work. Without stable and accessible funding, even well designed initiatives struggle to scale or sustain impact, leaving gaps in provision at precisely the moment when demand for scientific skills is rising designed initiatives struggle to scale or sustain impact, leaving gaps in provision at precisely the moment when demand for scientific skills is rising. 

Apprenticeships, industry engagement and long-term investment in skills development are all essential to securing the future talent pipeline. Ensuring that organisations across the system have the resources to participate fully is critical if the UK is to maintain its capacity for innovation and growth term investment in skills development are all essential to securing the future talent pipeline. Ensuring that organisations across the system have the resources to participate fully is critical if the UK is to maintain its capacity for innovation and growth. 

The way forward

The UK stands at a crossroads. Chemistry and materials science are not peripheral; they are the foundations of the green economy. Apprenticeships and translational hubs like CPI demonstrate that it is possible to bridge the skills gap while advancing industrial innovation. By investing in such programmes, the UK can ensure a steady pipeline of highly skilled chemists, safeguarding both its sustainability ambitions and its global scientific leadership. The choice is clear: equip the next generation, or risk letting capacity shortfalls dictate the future.