New Managers in Chemical and Process Engineering

Online | Face-to-face | In-company

Overview

This course will help chemical, process and biochemical engineers develop the skills required to succeed in their first management role.

You will identify and explore the fundamental attributes required by a successful manager/leader, and the behavioural shifts required as you transition beyond purely technical agenda. Through practical exercises and interactive case studies, you will develop your skills and discover practical solutions to common problems facing new and emerging managers.

The course is taught by an experienced chemical engineer and the course content is tailored to the chemical and process industries, setting it apart from other more general management and leadership training courses.

As part of the course, you will be encouraged to create a personalised action plan to further develop your skills and embed your learning.  The course includes a follow up one-to-one session with the course leader to discuss progress with your action plan and answer any questions you may have.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, you will:

• understand the core responsibilities and expectations of a manager in a chemical engineering environment
• be equipped with essential management/leadership skills including communication, delegation and performance management
• gain practical tools for building and leading effective teams
• appreciate business risk assessment and decision making
• understand the concepts behind continuous improvement and management of change
• start work on a personal development plan to continue growing as a leader.

Who will benefit

• Chemical, process and biochemical engineers who have recently assumed their first management role or are expecting to do so in the near future
• Managers with some experience but without formal management training
• The course may also help attendees intending to apply for Chartered Engineer status

Course outline

• Moving beyond a technical mindset as a manager and leader
• Leadership models, qualities, functions, and skills (time management, delegation, prioritisation)
• Communication skills, assertiveness. and effective applications
• Building and leading effective teams
• Performance management, including goal setting, motivation and feedback
• Strategic thinking, including business risk analysis and decision making
• Process management, including continuous improvement and management of change
• Personal development including self-awareness, mentoring, handling stress and making a plan

What delegates say

"I’ll be able to implement several things I’ve learned during the course, and I’m confident they’ll make a real difference to our day-to-day productivity and communication. Jamie demonstrated an impressive depth of knowledge, and his ability to explain the content clearly was second to none."
Lewis Tillison, Skelton Grange EFW, UK

"There were areas not covered in previous training courses I've attended that I found particularly valuable in this one. I’d recommend the course because it offers a strong mix of soft skills and core management skills. What makes it especially effective is that it’s tailored specifically to engineers – particularly chemical engineers – so you're in a room with like-minded professionals who can relate to the topics being discussed and share relevant, real-world experiences and examples."
Rebecca Hord, Yorkshire Water, UK

"I've learned several practical skills on this course that I can apply in my day-to-day work – particularly around delegation, effective communication, and team motivation. These will not only help free up my own time, but also provide greater clarity and direction for the team, ultimately improving overall efficiency. I’d definitely recommend this course. It stands out from more generic line management training, which often focuses solely on soft skills. This felt much more grounded in the realities of being a line manager in engineering – covering areas like delegation, team motivation, feedback, communication, and practical tools and techniques that can be used immediately."
David Powell, Assystem, UK

Trainer

Jamie Cleaver, PhD, CEng, FIChemE, Consultant
Jamie's background as a lecturer and his extensive experience of chemical engineering employers and the workplace give him a unique perspective as a trainer and facilitator of soft skills for chemical engineers.

Course delivery

Online 

Online courses consist of four live and interactive modules with the trainer, each lasting three hours. There will also be some work to complete independently before the course and between the live sessions. More details will be provided after you have registered.

Live sessions are delivered via Microsoft Teams. If you don't already have this installed, you can join as a guest in order to access the training.

Face-to-face 

Face-to-face courses are delivered over two days.

Upcoming dates 

View the list of start dates on this page. To register, select your preferred course and go to the 'Book course' button.

Fees

Book any live online or face-to-face training course before 31 August and save 20%! Simply use discount code MIDYEAR20 at checkout.

• IChemE member: £880 + VAT
• Non-member: £1,100 + VAT

*Terms and conditions: offer applies to 2025 live online and face-to-face courses. Applies to bookings made between 1 July and 31 August 2025 and to both member and non-member prices. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer eg multi-place discounts. Registration must be confirmed and paid by 31 August 2025. This offer does not apply to IChemE approved courses or face to face courses in South Africa.

Contact us

+44 (0)1788 534496 / courses@icheme.org

Register your interest in future dates.

More than one person to train?

Multi-place discounts

Discounts are available to companies booking more than one place. Bookings must be made at the same time to receive the discount.

• 2 places – 10% discount
• 3 places –15% discount
• 4 or more places – 20% discount

In-company training

This course can be delivered to in-house teams, either on-site or online. This could be a cost-effective option if you have several people requiring the training. Content can be tailored to your specific requirements. Request a quotation.

Attendance certificate & CPD hours

An e-certificate will be issued at the end of the course to confirm attendance and CPD hours logged. Please note that you must attend the whole course to receive the certificate. 

In the case of online courses, CPD hours should be used as an approximate guide and will vary depending on the preferred approach of the delegate and to what extent additional learning is completed.