Lab Skills
RSC Discover LabSkills
If you are a teacher in a UK school or are training to be a Chemistry teacher in the UK, contact us for free trial access to LabSkills as part of the Royal Society of Chemistry's Discover LabSkills project.
Discover LabSkills
A joint Royal Society of Chemistry and Pfizer educational project.
The resources in LabSkills provide an excellent opportunity for new teachers to familiarise themselves with the common errors that students make in the laboratory and a chance to increase their own confidence in setting up and performing the experiments typically found at this level.
Teacher access to LabSkills has been funded by RSC and Pfizer Limited via a joint initiative called Discover Chemistry. The aim of this educational partnership is to address the changing needs of the chemical industry in the UK, encouraging the most capable students into chemistry, and ensure that they are trained with the correct skills. Pfizer are providing up to £1 million over a 3-5 year period to help support initiatives such as this virtual lab program.
Lorna Thomson,
Royal Society of Chemistry,
Discover Chemistry Project Officer,
Education Dept, Burlington House,
Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BA
Tel: +44 (0)20 7440 3347
Email: Lorna Thomson
PGCE Chemistry trainee teachers
All UK trainee teachers studying for a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in Chemistry are being given free copies of A Level Chemistry LabSkills as part of the RSC Discover Chemistry initiative. So far over 1500 free copies have been sent out.
If you are Chemistry PGCE trainee and you have not already received a copy of this software through your training institution, please contact Lorna Thomson at the Royal Society of Chemistry.
GTP Chemistry trainee teachers
All UK trainee teachers studying to teach chemistry on the Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP) can access LabSkills free via the web until the end of August 2010.
The Science Additional Specialism Programme (SASP)
LabSkills is a key resource within the new SASP continuing professional development programme. This is for qualified teachers whose highest qualification in chemistry does not exceed A Level, or who have not undertaken initial teacher training in chemistry, but who aim to deliver A Level chemistry courses.
Contact your SASP course leader for details.
All UK Schools
The Discover LabSkills project allows all UK schools to access this teaching resource for up to 3 months via the web. This will give all chemistry teachers the opportunity to see this unique and inspirational software in action.
Contact us if you need help or support using LabSkills.
University teacher training centres currently involved:
Bath-Spa University
Brunel University
Canterbury Christ Church University
Goldsmiths, University of London
Institute of Education, University of London
Keele University
King's College London
Kingston University
Liverpool Hope University
Loughborough University
Manchester Metropolitan University
Newcastle University
Nottingham Trent University
Oxford Brookes University
Queens University Belfast
Roehampton University
Swansea Metropolitan University
The Open University
University College Plymouth St Mark & St John
University of Bath
University of Bedfordshire
University of Birmingham
University of Brighton
University of Bristol
University of Cambridge
University of Chester
University of Chichester
University of Cumbria
University of Dundee
University of East Anglia
University of Edinburgh
University of Exeter
University of Glasgow
University of Hertfordshire
University of Huddersfield
University of Leicester
University of Plymouth
University of Reading
University of Sheffield
University of Southampton
University of Strathclyde
University of Sussex
University of Wales, Aberystwyth
University of Wales, Bangor
University of Warwick
University of York
Find out more and login to the trial:
Testimonials
"As a scientific experimenter, it can be fun to just 'try it and see'. With this software, I was able to 'blow up the lab' quite safely, learning how to avoid the same mistakes in reality! Practical scientific skills are so useful in many areas, and are vital to the chemists of the future. As a former teacher myself, I know LabSkills will add an extremely valuable new dimension to the study of chemistry by helping to reinforce the importance of scientific rigour and of health and safety, while being informative and engaging."
Former Tomorrow's World presenter Kate Bellingham,
National STEM Careers Co-ordinator
"LabSkills could revolutionise the way practical chemistry is approached in schools. By encouraging students to prepare for their experimental work, it will help them to view practical chemistry as something much more than a recipe-following exercise. Through enhanced independence they will be better equipped to meet the future needs of industry. Positive experiences in practical chemistry at school are key in influencing the paths of many would-be scientists. This is an opportunity that we must harness."
Dr Tony Wood, Vice President & Worldwide Head of Medicinal Chemistry,
Pfizer Global R&D
