Chemical Engineering Summer Career Camp in London for Ages 15-18

Course Description: Chemical Engineering Summer Career Camp in London for Ages 15-18

Course Description: Chemical Engineering Summer Career Camp in London ⚗️

Size a distillation process at a working brewery one day, then spend the next in a University College London laboratory running a real experiment with a UCL professor. On this Chemical Engineering Summer Career Camp for students aged 15 to 18, every session is a genuine chemical engineering problem, taught by industry engineers and worked through with your own hands.

Each workshop starts with the engineering principle and ends with you building or measuring something yourself: a hydrogel, an emulsion or a Bernoulli rig reading. You go home with your own lab notes, a clear idea of what chemical engineering is and is not, and concrete material for your UCAS personal statement.

No previous experience is needed. The programme suits curious beginners as well as students already studying related subjects at school.

Location 📍

The camp takes place in central London, with sessions and visits across the city. Residential students stay at Ramsay Hall, part of the University College London (UCL) campus, and experience life as a university student in one of the world's great capitals.

Lesson Plan 📚

Choose a 1, 2 or 3 week programme. Teaching is delivered through practical workshops, industry visits and sessions led by working professionals.

Week 1: Materials, Processes and Clean Energy

• Materials Workshop: polymers and hydrogels

• Pharmaceutical Workshop: drug delivery

• Aeration Workshop with a leading engineering consultancy (Mott MacDonald)

• Laboratory Visit at University College London

• Separation Process, including the McCabe-Thiele method

• Clean Energy Workshop

• Food Workshop

• UCAS Application, Careers and Pathways

Week 2: Process Design and Reaction Engineering

• Process Design and Economics

• Biochemical Engineering

• Process Control and Automation

• Water Treatment and Environmental Engineering

• Chemical Reaction Engineering

Week 3: Career and Life Skills

Three-week students finish with a Career and Life Skills week and professional networking, designed to strengthen university applications and build skills for life beyond school.

Small Class Sizes 👩‍🏫

There are no more than 12 students in each programme group, so every student gets small group teaching, one-to-one mentoring and personalised feedback.

Meet Your Mentors

Sessions are led by practising engineers and professors in their own specialism, supported by a recent graduate mentor. Elie E. is completing an MEng in Chemical Engineering at University College London with First Class Honours in every year of study and is a recipient of the Sir Chris Harold Prize for Scientific Research. Judith C., an accredited UCAS adviser and former Head of English, Head of Creative Arts and Head of Sixth Form in Kent grammar schools, runs the UCAS and personal statement sessions.

Skills You Will Take Away

• Explain how polymers control drug release in hydrogels

• Use the McCabe-Thiele method to size a separation stage count

• Compare batch, PFR and CSTR reactors for a job

• Read a process flow diagram and its control loops

• Measure pressure and velocity on a Bernoulli rig

• Describe what chemical engineers do across energy, water, food and pharmaceuticals

A Day in the Life: Daily Routine ⏰

Teaching runs from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday. A typical first week looks like this:

• Monday: Materials Workshop, lunch, Pharmaceutical Workshop. Evening: bowling

• Tuesday: Aeration Workshop with an engineering consultancy, morning and afternoon. Evening: arcade

• Wednesday: Laboratory Visit, lunch, Separation Process. Evening: Covent Garden

• Thursday: Clean Energy Workshop, lunch, Food Workshop. Evening: group restaurant dinner

• Friday: UCAS Application, lunch, Careers and Pathways, graduation ceremony, then check-out for residential students

Dinner and evening activities are for residential students only. Timetables may be subject to change, and students receive their finalised timetable by the end of May. For two-week students, Water Treatment and Environmental Engineering is scheduled in the first week.

Accommodation at UCL Ramsay Hall 🛏️

Residential students stay at Ramsay Hall, part of University College London (UCL) in central London. Day students attend all sessions and return home each day.

• Move-in: Sunday before the start date, from 3:00 pm. Arriving between 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm is advised, to join dinner with the cohort and the evening activity

• Move-out: Friday, the last day of the programme

• Rooms: private single rooms with shared bathrooms, or upgrade to a private ensuite room

• Bathrooms: shared, typically used by up to three students

• Bedding and towels: sheets and towels are included

• Supervision: 24/7 building security and safeguarding, with on-site guardians living in the accommodation (1:10 ratio)

• Student safety: boys and girls are housed on separate floors

Meals 🍽️

• Residential students: breakfast, lunch and dinner daily

• Day students: lunch is provided

• Students may bring a few snacks for the day, which must be nut free

• Bring a refillable water bottle

Activities and Evening Programme 🎳

Residential students enjoy a social programme every evening. Recent examples include bowling, an arcade night, an evening in Covent Garden and a group restaurant dinner. All residential evening activities are covered by the fee.

Excursions and Industry Visits 🚍

• A University College London laboratory, to run a real experiment with a professor

• An aeration and water treatment workshop with the engineering consultancy Mott MacDonald

• A working brewery, to size a distillation process

• Weekend activities for residential students staying two or three weeks. Previous excursions have included a day trip to Cambridge, shopping in London and London sightseeing

Transportation ✈️

• Transport to different venues and excursions during the programme is covered

• Travel to and from the programme is not included in the fee

• Optional arrival or departure car service from London Heathrow: £300

Dates and Fees 📅

Programme Start Dates: Summer 2027

Programmes begin on a Monday, with weekly start dates across the summer:

• 28 June

• 5 July

• 12 July

• 19 July

• 26 July

• 2 August

• 9 August

Fees

• £1,799 for 1 week of the programme (day)

• £2,999 for 1 week of the programme plus residential package (all meals, lodging)

• £2,999 for 2 weeks of the programme (day)

• £5,499 for 2 weeks of the programme plus residential package (all meals, lodging)

• £3,999 for 3 weeks of the programme (day)

• £7,499 for 3 weeks of the programme plus residential package (all meals, lodging)

Extras

• Arrival or departure car service from London Heathrow: £300

• Extra night of accommodation: £100, subject to availability

• Ensuite upgrade: £250 per week

What Is Included in the Programme Fee ✅

• Residential accommodation at UCL Ramsay Hall in a private single room (residential package)

• 24/7 security and safeguarding

• Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner daily for residents; lunch for day students

• 60 hours of career-focused learning over 2 weeks

• Interactive workshops and guest speakers

• Industry visits to leading companies

• Expert UCAS admissions coaching

• Personal mentor (Oxford, Cambridge, UCL or Imperial graduate)

• Weekend excursions and London activities

• Evening social programme

• Certificate of completion

• Personalised letter of reference from your programme mentor

Certificates and Awards 📜

• Certificate recognising your participation, ideal for your CV and university applications

• Personalised letter of reference from your programme mentor

• Opportunity to fulfil the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Residential requirement

• Your own lab notes from a fluid mechanics rig, plus concrete material for your UCAS personal statement

How Fluent Do I Need to Be in English? 🗣️

All teaching and workshops are delivered in English. Students should have a basic level of spoken and written English so they can follow instructions, join discussions and take part in group activities comfortably. International students are welcome and supported throughout the programme.

What Should I Bring? 🎒

• A notepad and pen, or a device to write on

• A water bottle

• Nut-free snacks if wanted

• Some spending money for residential students, especially on two-week programmes

A packing list and preparation materials are sent by mid June.

Safety and Support 🛡️

All sessions take place in a secure, structured environment. Staff are DBS-checked and follow strict safeguarding policies. Students with additional learning needs or disabilities are welcome; share any requirements in advance so adjustments can be arranged.