How to become an assistant chemical engineer
Official title: Assistant chemical engineer
Also called: Assistant chemical engineer (petroleum), Assistant petrochemical engineer, Assistant petroleum and natural gas engineer, Assistant chemical engineer (petroleum), Assistant petrochemical engineer
Assistant chemical engineer provides assistance to the chemical engineer and may lead a team of technicians. He/she supports the development of chemical production processes and also the design, inspection, installation, troubleshooting and maintenance of chemical plant and equipment. He/she maintains laboratory documentation and ensures that chemical equipment are being calibrated and maintained regularly. He/she coordinates with customers, contractors, suppliers and consultants, to ensure that the products or work is performed to specification.
Main tasks
- Assisting in the design of new products
- Developing or improving production processes
- Assisting in technical supervision of manufacture, utilisation, maintenance and repair of structures, machinery and equipment
Ways in
- Apprenticeship: Work-study diploma. Related ITE work-study diplomas: Work-Study Diploma in Chemical Process Technology. You are employed by a company and study at ITE at the same time. Peernovo matched these from course names.
- Polytechnic or ITE: ITE course (Nitec or Higher Nitec). Related ITE courses: Higher Nitec in Chemical Process Technology. Peernovo matched these from course names; ITE does not publish which jobs each course leads to.; Polytechnic diploma. Related diplomas: Diploma in Chemical Engineering (Temasek Polytechnic). Peernovo matched these from course names; polytechnics do not publish which jobs each course leads to.
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Related jobs
- Assistant civil/structural engineer
- Assistant electrical engineer
- Assistant electronics engineer
- Assistant mechanical engineer
- Assistant manufacturing engineer
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Questions people ask
How do I become an assistant chemical engineer?
Ways in include: ITE course (Nitec or Higher Nitec); Polytechnic diploma; Work-study diploma.
Will AI change the work of an assistant chemical engineer?
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Updated 4 October 2026