Quantum IQ is the Future of Education
If AI was a revolution, quantum physics and mechanics are coming to steal some of its thunder and soon.
The challenges will often be unrelated to quantum physics per se, more the associated industries, engineering and software.
We will need people who can design quantum technologies, build them, finance them, program them, use them and explain them - skillsets that are broad and require a diverse range of education and experience.
The United Nations has declared 2025 the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, recognising 100 years of quantum mechanics. At this week’s Quantum Australia Conference, researchers and leaders will discuss the nearly 20,000 workers needed in this field by 2045.
Swinburne’s quantum leaders, Chief Scientist Professor Virginia Kilborn, Associate Professor Tapio Simula and Professor Jeffrey Davis, say the next generation quantum workforce will require an entirely new skillset - so how do we prepare them for the future?
“The next hundred years will be a golden age of quantum technologies. We will see entirely new kinds of quantum devices and solutions. It will revolutionise the way we live, work and communicate and create new quantum industries,” explains Professor Kilborn.
Addressing these challenges will require diverse skillsets.
“High-level quantum physics is currently only taught to physics students in a handful of universities,” Professor Davis says. “So even if the intake to these programs is rapidly increased this wouldn’t address the broader skillsets needed for the industry to thrive in a timely way.”
To prepare for the next gen quantum industries that lie ahead of us, Swinburne’s experts suggest a new and innovative quantum educational ecosystem:
1 Begin to grow quantum awareness and education - right from primary school and through high school, so a basic quantum understanding is as common as knowing the planets in the Solar System.
2 Focus on rapid upskill of existing employees of companies that use and develop critical technologies to keep pace with the transition to the quantum future.
3 Strong undergraduate and postgraduate programs in quantum theory and experimentation with transferrable practical skills in existing and future quantum technologies, instead of solely focusing on repeating foundational experiments of quantum theory.
4 Training the people who can act as conduits and interpreters between the deep level quantum technology scientists/engineers, and broader potential users of quantum technology in various industries.
5 Future vocational courses to focus on quantum manufacturing, quantum computing operations, or quantum technicians who are skilled in fixing quantum technologies.
“We will know we have succeeded in elevating the quantum IQ of our society when we have thriving industries fuelled by a quantum literate workforce with a breadth of quantum educational and upskill options,” says Professor Kilborn.
“I’m excited for the day that we’re chatting about superposition and entanglement around the water cooler instead of the weather!”
Image by Francesco Ungaro