21320 Chemical engineers

What this occupation covers

Chemical engineers research, design, and develop chemical processes and equipment, oversee the operation and maintenance of industrial chemical, plastics, pharmaceutical, resource, pulp and paper, and food processing plants and perform duties related to chemical quality control, environmental protection and biochemical or biotechnical engineering. They are employed in a wide range of manufacturing and processing industries, consulting firms, government, research and educational institutions.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 10 main duties for this code.

• Conduct economic and technical feasibility studies in areas related to chemical, petroleum, pulp and paper, food or other processing industries
• Conduct research into the development or improvement of chemical engineering processes, reactions and materials
• Evaluate chemical process technology and equipment and determine production specifications
• Design and test chemical processing and associated plants and equipment
• Oversee the construction, modification, operation and maintenance of pilot plants, processing units or processing plants
• Establish and conduct quality control programs, operating procedures and control strategies to ensure consistency and adherence to standards for raw materials, products and waste products or emissions
• Prepare contract documents and evaluate tenders for the process aspects of industrial construction
• Supervise technicians, technologists and other engineers
• May work in an administrative capacity, for example, in the development of guidelines and specifications for the handling of dangerous chemicals, environmental protection, or standards for foods, materials and consumer goods.
• Chemical engineers may specialize in the products and processes of a particular industry such as pulp and paper manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, petroleum refining, energy processing, plastics, metal extraction and refining, or adhesives and coatings production. They may also specialize in functional areas of various industries such as process control, pollution control or fermentation processes.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 2 of its 10 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 21399 Other professional engineers
• 21101 Chemists
• 21300 Civil engineers
• 21310 Electrical and electronics engineers
• 20010 Engineering managers
• 21322 Metallurgical and materials engineers
• 21332 Petroleum engineers

Excluded from this code

• Agricultural engineer (See 21399 Other professional engineers)
• Biomedical engineer (See 21399 Other professional engineers)
• Chemists (See 21101 Chemists)
• Civil environmental engineer (See 21300 Civil engineers)
• Electrical process control engineer (See 21310 Electrical and electronics engineers)
• Engineering managers (See 20010 Engineering managers)
• Metallurgical and materials engineers (See 21322 Metallurgical and materials engineers)
• Petroleum engineers (See 21332 Petroleum engineers)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

adhesives engineer · biochemical and biotechnical engineer · biochemical development engineer · biochemical engineer · biotechnical engineer · biotechnology engineer · chemical coating engineer · chemical engineer · chemical process control engineer · chemical process engineer · chemical project engineer · chief chemical engineer · chief process engineer · design and development chemical engineer · electrochemical engineer · environmental chemical engineer · explosives engineer · fuels engineer · industrial hygiene engineer · industrial waste treatment engineer · liquid fuels engineer · petrochemical engineer · petroleum refinery process engineer · pipeline transport engineer

Employment requirements

• A bachelor's degree in chemical engineering or in a related engineering discipline is required.
• A master's degree or doctorate in a related engineering discipline may be required.
• Licensing by a provincial or territorial association of professional engineers is required to approve engineering drawings and reports and to practise as a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.).
• Engineers are eligible for registration following graduation from an accredited educational program, and after three or four years of supervised work experience in engineering and passing a professional practice examination.