CICD and Wesley College

Workforce development is extremely important to the chemical industry, and CICD in particular is exploring ways to create an easier transition between technical schools and chemical companies in order to help solve the ever-present shortage of skilled labor. To that end, Alan Rogers and Jackie Beckwith were able to meet with professors and students in the Wesley College Chemistry department to discuss the partnership between the college and employers within the state.

Wesley is located in Dover and is in fact Delaware’s oldest private college. It is also home to the Cannon Scholar’s Program, which launched in 2017 with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and is designed to recruit and retain low-income undergraduate students in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Students who are accepted into the program are incredibly smart, driven, and focused on taking advantage of every opportunity they can, and it is CICD’s opinion that our association should do more to partner with these talented learners.

Possible ideas include attending Wesley College job fairs, presenting to the Scholars on the various opportunities that exist within the industry, and inviting students to apply to internship, co-op, or job opening. We will continue to flesh out these opportunities while also looking into other educational institutions around the state, and look forward to member company support.

If your business already works with a school and would appreciate association support, please let Jackie Beckwith know and we would be happy to assist in any way. Additionally, if your educational institution would welcome a closer relationship with chemical companies in the state of Delaware, we would also be interested in pursuing those conversations further.