Aligning Chemical Education with Industry Needs: Key Insights from a ChemEd Summit

This article describes the organization of a one-day ChemEd Summit that brought together 73 participants from academic, industrial, government, and nonprofit chemical sciences organizations with the aim to guide future initiatives and collaborative strategies to enhance student readiness for the workforce. Registered participants were asked to complete a survey prior to the summit to serve as a conversation starter, capturing their perspectives on the most important knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) for chemical sciences graduates and the perceived quality of preparation in these areas upon entering the workforce. The summit’s program was designed to include a wide range of perspectives and insights, featuring three panel sessions in the morning to gather participant input and viewpoints. Afternoon sessions were aimed to create a shared vision for future initiatives. Following the summit, participants were asked to complete a post-survey designed to build on the ideas generated during the summit and to identify potential collaborative activities and contact points. The format of the ChemEd Summit can serve as a model for other academic institutions to engage recent graduates and nonacademic partners in conversations aimed at enhancing student learning and workforce preparedness, as well as build relationships to facilitate the implementation of identified enrichment activities. The ChemEd Summit proved to be effective in identifying KSAs necessary for student success in the workforce and creating opportunities for professional partners to collaborate on the development of the undergraduate curriculum in chemical sciences.