Accredited Training Schemes

The RSC has for some years been successfully accrediting company training schemes. These schemes offer the employee a 'fast-track' route to the professional award of Chartered Chemist (CChem) while providing employers with the confidence that their training is of a recognised high standard. 

The structure of an RSC-accredited training scheme, which is normally open only to graduates in chemistry, allows for admission to the category of Member (MRSC) to be achieved after two years spent enhancing professional skills in five key areas. The graduate then devotes a further two years to the development of twelve prescribed professional attributes at which point the award of CChem can be achieved.

One of the major advantages of having a training scheme accredited is that a graduate trainee can participate in a company training scheme and at the same time work towards a widely recognised professional qualification.

Advantages to the employer include: 

• Aiding the recruitment and retention of high quality graduates
• Cost efficient use of training resources - graduate trainees can meet as a group for some parts of the scheme
• Assurance that the outcomes of the training scheme meet the RSC's professional requirements for the award of CChem
• Assurance that the company's scheme stands comparison with good practice elsewhere.  

Advantages to the graduate trainees are that they are part of a group with common aims and interest, they receive continuous monitoring and support from the company through an experienced colleague who acts as a mentor, and they can advance to CChem in the shortest possible time. That is, CChem can be achieved after 4 years rather than the 5 years required through the RSC's normal application procedure.

The advantages to the RSC include the ability to set, monitor and maintain the professional standards for the award of CChem, and to gain a better understanding of the needs of employing organisations and graduates.