INschool As part of a national pilot programme, the Rohm and Haas Dewsbury plant in United Kingdom launched this comprehensive programme at local Westborough High. The work-based project is designed to raise instructional excellence among teachers, and educational opportunity and achievement for students. InSchool’s multiple components target students of every age and academic level with appropriate activities and challenges. Among them are an industry based curriculum guided by Rohm and Haas scientists and supplemented by site tours and classroom visits, mock job interview activities and a Young Scientist of the Year Award, which culminates in a six-week work experience at the plant for the student winner.

SchoolsWork
Since the early 1990s, the Rohm and Haas Jarrow facility has maintained a relationship with nearby Harton School, hosting a series of on-site work experiences for students that expose them to actual work environments before they make important career choices. A-Level/college students use their two-week experience to conduct a group project for later presentation to Rohm and Haas personnel—such as a sample marketing plan to promote a new product to an existing customer. Younger "General Certificate in Secondary Education" (GCSE) students attend a five-day programme that provides a broader view of the facility, and showcases the technical advancement in modern industry.

Forum of the Trades
Employee volunteers from the Rohm and Haas facility at Lauterbourg participate annually in a local programme called Forum of the Trades, designed to give young students the opportunity to learn more about the professional sectors in which they have interest. Organized by the colleges of Lauterbourg and Seltz in conjunction with the College Stanislas de Wissembourg, Forum of the Trade sessions feature presentations by various professionals about required coursework, professional opportunities and challenges and daily activities associated with particular occupations.

Children Challenging Industry
In conjunction with the Children Challenging Industry programme conducted by the Chemical Industry Education Centre (CIEC), students from St. Paulinus and Westmoor Junior Schools visited the Dewsbury facility to see a bit of industry in action. Students were taken on a site tour, and participated in a variety of practical experiments to demonstrate the impact science and industry can have on consumers’ daily lives.

The Magic of Science
Scientists from the Rohm and Haas facility at Jarrow have proven you don’t need to be a magician to work a little magic in the lives of local students. Using chemistry basics such as helium gas, dry ice and water, employee volunteers conduct carefully chosen experiments in the classroom at Toner Avenue Primary School to demonstrate fundamental principles of gases with spectacular effects, to capture the attention and spark the imagination of young students.

Les Olympiades Internationales de Chimie The Rohm and Haas facility in Lauterbourg supports Les Olympiades Internationales de Chimie, an annual, high-level international competition, which brings together students of approximately 50 countries, united by a common passion: chemistry. Candidates are pupils in their first year of the scientific preparatory classes and undergo a rigorous selection process to participate in the 10-day experience, filled with scientific competition and cultural experiences. In addition to making a financial contribution to the competition each year, the Lauterbourg facility hosts the top 40 students on a tour of its operations.

Industry Days
Rohm and Haas facilities throughout the European Region host or support a variety of Industry Day programs with schools in their operating communities. Depending on the region and the relationship, teachers and students may tour and visit their local Rohm and Haas facilities to learn more about the applications of chemistry in industry. At other facilities, Rohm and Haas scientists and other professionals visit the classroom—bringing with them a variety of entertaining demonstrations or activities to illustrate the concepts of supply and demand, the scientific process or safety. The following European facilities actively promote their Industry Days:

College of Georges Holderith
For more than 15 years, the Rohm and Haas facility at Lauterbourg has maintained a relationship with the College Georges Holderith de Lauterbourg by establishing a progressive curriculum for the students’ four levels of study. First-year students are introduced to the presence of chemistry in their everyday lives. Second-year students become acquainted with company operations through a tour of the water treatment facility, the dechettery, the monomer unloading station with its retention dikes, and a protected forest located along the perimeter of the site. In the third-year of study, students track the manufacturing cycle of a product—from its introduction as raw material through to its point of sale. Finally, fourth-year students are presented with an overview of the various trades held within the Lauterbourg facility’s three companies.

Professors at the College are invited to attend meetings on a variety of topics, including background on classified sites, Seveso legislation, hazardous materials handling and more. Financial gifts made by the Lauterbourg facility are used to support the purchase of instructional materials and supplies for the classroom.

Youth and Industry
More than a decade ago, the Union of Industries and Trades in the Metallurgy in the Aisne region (USIMA) launched a program called ‘Youth and Industry’ to give high school students an opportunity to discover how a company works and the jobs it offers to enhance their orientation to the workforce and project a better image of industry. Through the program, pupils work on a project with a company during a portion of the school year, as a means to confirm their interests and competencies before selecting a career path. Students who work on the project must share their experience with their classmates, and become ambassadors of their company within the school. Once the project has been completed, students report on their work and present their achievements before all regional participants.

Rohm and Haas Chauny site established a partnership in 1995 with Collège Jacques Cartier, followed by a relationship with Collège St Charles in 2000. Each year, students, school administrators and Rohm and Haas employees determine a calendar of work sessions at the Chauny site to conduct a mutually-agreeable project, and a contract is signed between the site manager and the school. Project-study areas have included wastewater treatment processes, safety and general career opportunities in chemistry.

Site-Student Partnerships
The Rohm and Haas Chauny facility opens its doors to numerous schools and institutions throughout the year, including primary schools to universities, professional schools, institutes, and even an association for special-needs adults (‘Les Papillons Blancs’). Various technicians from Chauny site give oral presentations on safety and the environment to local schools including Gay Lussac High School and St. Quentin Institute of Logistic (INSET), specifically to students who are preparing for diplomas in environmental studies, municipal planning, agricultural and food development.

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