The Second Quantum Revolution Needs Reinforcements
Written by JOEL P. WILLIAMS
The emerging quantum industry faces a colossal challenge: defining multidisciplinary skill sets by which to qualify and train its workforce. Workers with photonics skills may apply.
A broader effort, called QuSTEAM, brings together scientists and educators from more than 20 universities, national laboratories, community colleges, and historically Black colleges and universities to develop a research-based quantum education curriculum designed to prepare the next generation of the quantum workforce. The University of Chicago, one of the members leading the initiative — in collaboration with the Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C), Q-NEXT, and the U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratories — is offering a similar certificate program and is also working to create programs for the system of the City Colleges of Chicago.
The curriculum being developed by QuSTEAM is expected to enable greater educational opportunities in two- and four-year institutions, minority-serving institutions, and industry while confronting and dismantling long-standing biases in STEM education.
