Demand for chemical engineers is on the rise as their contribution is required in several sectors, says Ajay Kapur
One of the evergreen profession is engineering and why not as engineering forms the foundation for innovation and technology. And chemical engineering is one such branch that has always been in demand. A much sought-after stream among engineering aspirants, chemical engineering promises a bright career scope as the range of related professions is wide. From biotechnology and aerospace to biomedical and petroleum industries, the career provides a wide range of opportunities. A highly profitable branch, it provides good growth not only in India but abroad also.
The branch deals with the engineering and development of chemicals/processes to identify and/or solve technical glitches. It combines the knowledge of Chemistry and Engineering to produce chemicals and related by-products. Aspirants should get a degree in Chemical Engineering from a reputed university or college to get a strong backing for their profile.
Responsibilities: The job requires the person to design and invent chemical processes or products, plan and operate industrial plant facilities, create environment-friendly health and safety standards, provide safety measures for chemical industry work conditions, R&D in the Bio-Tech firms, create chemical materials for industrial production, processing of food and agricultural products, cosmetics, and mineral based industries.
Scope: Earlier it was only about industrial-scale production of chemicals, but the field has seen a vast change as the chemical engineers now cover various fields and industries. A broad field, Chemical Engineering has applications in plastics, textile, food, pharmaceuticals, petroleum, and many more. All these sectors and industries hire Chemical Engineering graduates thus opening a huge scope for them in India as well as abroad.
Chemical engineering graduates can find jobs in petroleum refineries, petrochemical industries, food processing units, cement factories, pharmaceutical industries, fertiliser factories, biotechnology sector and many others.
Pay Scale: Salaries in this field of Engineering are lucrative where freshers can earn on an average Rs 25,000 toRs 30,000 per month. With experience and depending on the skills, the salaries reach Rs 5-Rs 7 lakh per year. If one is willing to go abroad and work in Petroleum industry then one can expect high-end salaries. Competent professionals with few years of experience can expect salaries between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 3 lakh per month.
The writer is MD, Shubham Chemicals
