Are university students entering industry without sufficient hands-on experience in the lab?

Many chemistry and biochemistry undergrads will use FT-IR, but often using an instrument that has been set up by an experienced lab tech. This means undergrads get little to no experience troubleshooting the instrument, or recognising the cause of errors in their results. As a result, students are leaving university and going into industry with FT-IR experience on their CV, but without the expertise to actually set up the instrument, source parts or troubleshoot when things go wrong.

Last month we had an enquiry from a sixth form college to put together an FT-IR education bundle, that could be used to give students hands-on experience with FT-IR equipment. At Richmond Scientific, we’re in the unique position of being able to offer top of the range analytical equipment, as well as lower spec instruments that can be used by students for hands on technical experience and trouble shooting. In addition to the instrument, we were able to provide a complete education bundle including an ATR, laser and selection of samples and accessories. This equipment is now in the college teaching lab ready for students to gain real hands-on experience of setup and troubleshooting.

Got an unusual enquiry? Want a specific piece of kit for research or training? We’re just a phone call away on 01257 270433

FT-IR technical support

At Richmond Scientific we have in-house expert engineers who service and test all the instruments that we sell. If you need advice on which FT-IR instrument you require, or if you have equipment that you would like servicing or inspecting, please call our team on 01257 270433.

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