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Blog: People, Skills & Sustaining A T…

Blog: People, Skills & Sustaining A Talent Pipeline

3 February 2025

The chemical supply chain is at a crossroads as we build a sustainable pipeline of talent for our workforce.  As we continue to explore workforce challenges, sustainability priorities, and innovation, one thing we need is people and their skills are at the heart our businesses.

Through our People & Skills Hub, we are committed to supporting you to build the best workforce possible, and they are ready willing and able – not that I wanted to sound like a Doris Day song!

Last year, our careers outreach activities had an amazing impact, and we’re aiming even higher this year. Together with our member community, the Future Council, Generation STEAM Ambassadors, and my CBA colleagues, we engaged with 16,736 students across 44 schools, colleges, and universities.  Pupils and students ranged from 11-year-olds to undergraduates, plus many teachers and careers advisors who had plenty of questions themselves!

However, a major challenge is our aging workforce. Data from the Chemical Industry Journal highlights that in the next 25 years, a significant proportion of the workforce will retire, with employees aged 55-64 outnumbering 16-24-year-olds by over 20,000 in industrial sciences alone. This shortfall shows the urgency of implementing succession planning and workforce development strategies.

As companies bring together more multi-disciplinary teams, we are eager to ensure we don’t lose the experience or knowledge from our aging workforce.  Brain drain is costly for a us and losing skilled workers means losing years of expertise, safety know-how, and industry historical knowledge.  Without working on solutions to support our entire workforce we risk losing “industry memory”, which can result in a lack of efficiency, innovation, and even workplace safety.

But instead of viewing an aging workforce as a challenge, we should see it as an opportunity.  To quote another song “Here’s to never growing up” and I’ll toast to maintaining a youthful mindset, regardless of how old we get!

Our aging workforce gives us a competitive advantage.  5050Vision is a People & Skills Hub initiative dedicated to ensuring the retention, inclusion, and active engagement of experienced professionals over the age of 50 in our industry.  We aim to bridge the skills gap, support mentorship opportunities, and promote intergenerational knowledge share.

5050Vision is our commitment to leveraging the huge potential of our aging workforce adding to our already inclusive, forward-thinking industry culture.

This initiative promotes policies that retain and actively engage professionals over 50, ensuring that their industry knowledge, safety expertise, and mentorship drive businesses forward.  Through succession planning, intergenerational collaboration, and holistic workforce development strategies, 5050Vision we can help our businesses adapt by retaining invaluable expertise.  Even small changes such as, promoting flexible working or 360 mentoring, can have create an inclusive, skilled, and adaptable talent pipeline.

A workforce full of experience provides a competitive advantage.  5050Vision, doesn’t only focus on some topical polices, such as menopause policies, but takes a holistic approach to supporting an entire aging workforce.  Retaining and engaging professionals over 50 is critical.

There are 1.4 million chemistry-based roles in the UK and job growth is projected at 6.5%, therefore businesses need to proactively address skill shortages holistically.   I hear the reference to a “war on talent” and although this is extreme, there is an urgency for filling gaps in sustainability, digital competencies, and specialist expertise.

As we move forward our approach if not already embedded, should include:

  • Apprenticeships & Vocational Training, where there are alternative pathways into the industry to diversify the talent pipeline. Apprenticeships are for all no age limit here either!
  • Lifelong Learning & Upskilling ensures that we invest in professional development so employees can adapt to evolving technologies and sustainability targets.
  • Mentorship & Knowledge Sharing happening right now in the CBA office! Let’s create more intergenerational knowledge where we see sharing from experienced professionals to early career professionals and vice versa.

The People & Skills Hub can work with you to future-proof career opportunities, proactively promoting Lifelong Learning and upskilling, while sharing best practice in flexible and agile career pathways.

Contact Heather via email heather.carroll@chemical.org.uk and connect here

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