UCT Chemistry Students Get a Glimpse into Industry at FCC

On Wednesday, 29 July, UCT third-year Chemistry students kicked off the second semester with an exciting industry visit to Fine Chemicals Corporation (FCC). As a key part of Aspen API and Aspen Pharmacare, FCC specialises in manufacturing active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for local and global markets. This visit provided students with an opportunity to gain insight into the scientific, technical and regulatory roles that contribute to the pharmaceutical industry.

This marked the second year of collaboration between the UCT Department of Chemistry and FCC, and we sincerely appreciate the FCC team for once again welcoming our students and creating such a valuable learning opportunity.

The visit began with a warm welcome from Johan Blankenberg and Candice Nefdt, followed by an Occupational Safety, Health and Environment presentation by Martin Adendorph. Students then had the opportunity to tour FCC’s QC, ADD and TSD laboratories, guided by Joseph Daniels, Heinrich Behr and Dorothy Lamb. The programme concluded with an overview of Regulatory Affairs presented by Charlene Pheiffer and Waldo Adams, followed by closing remarks from Candice Nefdt.

For many students, seeing the analytical techniques and instrumentation they encounter in their Chemistry lectures and practicals being used in a real industry setting was a particularly exciting experience. Third-year Chemistry student Mbali Toko commented that it was “amazing to see GC-MS and HPLCs in use and to see their application in industry.” She added that having already gained exposure to these techniques through her coursework and practicals at UCT made her feel much less anxious about entering the working world one day.

Students were also inspired to see UCT alumni working at FCC and applying the knowledge and skills they had developed at university in industry. The visit gave students a valuable glimpse into the career opportunities available to Chemistry graduates and helped them see how their own studies can translate into exciting careers in the pharmaceutical industry.

A special thank you goes to Johan and the entire FCC team for their time, generosity and hospitality. We would also like to thank Katherine Oberholzer for making the visit extra special by treating our students to delicious doughnuts, tea and coffee, as well as a goodie bag filled with snacks. We sincerely appreciate the continued collaboration between FCC and the UCT Department of Chemistry. Building strong connections between academia and industry is an important part of preparing our students for the world beyond university, while giving them the opportunity to see what they can aspire to and work towards in their future careers.

Thank you to everyone at FCC who contributed to making the visit such a memorable experience, and to Laa-iqa Rylands for organising the visit and continuing to build meaningful connections between academia and industry.