This module aims to help Chemistry students develop skills needed for further educational opportunities or employment in a wide range of chemical and non-chemical based sectors.

(LO1) By the end of the employability section of the module, students should be able to demonstrate both a familiarity with, and an understanding of, the importance of transferable skills to the workplace.

(LO2) By the end of the module, students should be able to use scientific databases effectively for literature and citation searches.

(LO3) By the end of the module, students should be able to find relevant information from online chemical databases regarding chemical reactions and structures

(LO4) By the end of the module, students should be able to apply the database skills in writing a report drawing from scientific literature.

(S1) Teamwork

(S2) Communication Skills

(S3) Lifelong learning skills

(S4) Organisational skills

(S5) IT skills

(S6) Commercial awareness

Lectures: Database skills lectures (2h) / Employability (10h). More lectures will be available, but students choose which to attend.
Notes: Lecture attendance and professionalism are considered the first part of a number of assignments and failure to complete certain lectures will result in students being unable to complete some assignments in full.

Workshops and tutorials

Database workshop (3h); employability sessions (7h)

EMPLOYABILITY

A variety of lectures delivered by course staff, wider university colleagues and external speakers. Lectures possible include but are not restricted to, the following: course introduction; an introduction to the careers service; skill articulation for application preparation materials; interview technique; further education opportunities (MSc/Teaching); Intellectual property; industry lectures; resilience and social media; commercial awareness; presentations etc. A varietyof linked mini-employability, to help build the final portfolio, will be available on Canvas. They possibly include, but are not restricted to: surveys; reflective writing; visiting the careers service; CV preparation; interview scenario critique; psychometric test; video interviewing software; peer review processes; resilience; social media; commercial awareness, etc. Students will participate in a video interview, a virtual assessment centre and also have some synchronous tutorials to work on their group project.

Students will participate in a group project with wider considerations of industry/further study. Where possible, timetable depending, students can personalise their route through the group work to focus on their future plans (ie, chemical industry, teaching, further research, non-science, etc).

DATABASES

Advanced structure based searches using Reaxys including properties, reactions, stereochemistry, generic groups, atom mapping, reagents, non-standard bonding (e.g. cyclypentadiene), variable atoms. A consideration of the peer-review process.