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PhotonicsViews

The Quantum Ecosystem and Its Future Workforce

Araceli Venegas‐Gomez

Published Nov 6, 2020• 27 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract There is no doubt, we are entering the second quantum revolution. Every week some exciting news about quantum technologies appears in the media. Nowadays, several countries worldwide have initiated a quantum program to develop this emerging market. However, this will require having a highly trained and skilled workforce. How can society be ready when the time comes?

DOI
10.1002/phvs.202000044

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Abstract There is no doubt, we are entering the second quantum revolution. Every week some exciting news about quantum technologies appears in the media. Nowadays, several countries worldwide have initiated a quantum program to develop this emerging market. However, this will require having a highly trained and skilled workforce. How can society be ready when the time comes?
It was the middle of the pandemic when I wrote a special quantum focus article for PhotonicsViews.At that point, my goal was to provide an overview of the technology, the public investment up to that date, how the start-ups landscape was booming all over the world, and the job market forecast.The terms 'education' and 'workforce' were just starting to be two important topics in most quantum conversations.Now, two years later, global investment has increased by almost 10 billion dollars, and start-ups continue to appear and grow worldwide.It is difficult not to find a discussion panel or hear the importance of 'quantum skills and the global quantum workforce' at any quantum event or interview.How to have a pipeline ready to join an emerging workforce goes back to how 'educated' that workforce is.If you are not aware that your skills could be applied in quantum technologies, or even about that emerging market, how can we expect the workforce to be ready?Every year, there are more undergraduate and postgraduate programs on quantum technology being launched all around the world, either from an optics and photonics perspective, or with a focus on quantum computing programming.Either way, the creation of those curricula should be done in parallel with analyzing industry needs.And there comes the next challenge: the specification of those needs.In our role as service providers, we have seen the whole spectrum of industry 'maturity' with respect to quantum technologies.There are the newcomers looking for insights into the field to understand how they could fit in the landscape.Then we have corporations who started to include quantum in their innovation roadmap -some are even working on specific use cases -and are now looking for partners and new opportunities.And finally we can see a few industry actors already having a quantum strategy and team in place.It is a marathon, not a sprint, as a new language takes time to learn.Understanding your role and position in the quantum journey is the first step in learning this new language.You are all invited to join!
Rapid advances in quantum technology have exacerbated the shortage of a diverse, inclusive, and sustainable quantum workforce. National governments and industries are developing strategies for education, training, and workforce development to accelerate the commercialization of quantum technologies. We report the existing state of the quantum workforce as well as several learning pathways to nurture the talent pipeline between academia and industry. We provide a comprehensive guide to various educational initiatives accessible throughout the world, such as online courses, conferences, seminars, games, and community-focused networks, that facilitate quantum training and upskill the talent needed to develop a better quantum future.
With the increasing industrial relevance of new quantum technologies, a well-educated quantum workforce becomes increasingly crucial.The foreseeable lack of workforce raises important questions.What are the expectations regarding the future relevance of second-generation quantum technologies?What are the requirements for the workforce in the coming quantum industry?Which competences, knowledge, and skills should future employees have?In this paper, we report the results of our study that were aimed at mapping requirements and forecasts for the future quantum workforce.Our study consisted of three consecutive survey rounds.In total, we gathered 188 responses from industry and academic experts across Europe.Our study results served as an input for the development of the European Competence Framework for Quantum Technologies, delivered by the project QTEdu CSA for the European Quantum Flagship.In addition, we will discuss predictions from experts related to the future quantum workforce, including the expected industrial relevance of the main areas of quantum technologies, the need for educational efforts, and the expected influence of quantum technologies on everyday life.
Quantum sensing, quantum networking and communication, and quantum computing have attracted significant attention recently, as these quantum technologies could offer significant advantages over existing technologies. In order to accelerate the commercialization of these quantum technologies, the workforce must be equipped with the necessary skills. We present the results of a qualitative study of the quantum industry, where we conducted a series of interviews with 21 U.S. companies in the quantum industry. The aim of these interviews was to profile the types of jobs that exist and describe the variety of skills valued across the quantum industry. This has allowed us to identify the current routes into the quantum industry, providing a picture of the current role of higher education in training the quantum workforce. Additionally, we enquired about the training and hiring challenges the quantum industry is facing and how higher education may optimize the important role it is currently playing.