How do we develop a quantum ready workforce?
I like to draw parallels between Classical and Quantum computers to illustrate where we are on our Quantum Journey. In classical computing, it took 71 between the first computer, the Turing Machine being developed till the first iPhone came to market. Likewise, we are only 20 years into Quantum hardware, but it is rapidly improving. We need the UK to be Quantum Ready to reap the benefits as soon as the hardware becomes available.
To unlock the full potential of Quantum Computing in Industry we need the algorithm rich knowledge from Quantum Researchers to meet the specific computationally expensive challenges faced by the industry. The largest gap in the workforce is individuals with expertise in both these areas. One might suggest getting two people to work together, one with industry knowledge and the other with Quantum knowledge. Unfortunately, this is a lot harder to execute in practice since it isn’t obvious which use cases and problems could be improved with Quantum Devices. Both industry experts and quantum specialists both struggle with identifying each other.
So, how can we solve this in the near term? There are two obvious solutions from my perspective. Firstly, we train members of the Industry with enough Quantum Computing knowledge, so they know to highlight potentially computationally expensive use cases for Quantum Computers. Secondly, a Quantum Specialist could be dropped into a company and rotated through different departments investigating the entire business and highlighting areas of interest. Both these approaches can lead to fruitful PoCs and the identification of near-term use cases. To this end, I expect there to be rapid growth in training pathways, certifications, and quantum education for non-scientists and experts alike. It is something that I and many others are working on today.
In the longer term, I expect algorithms to be optimized and simplified, lowering the barrier to using gate computing. The day when Quantum Computing hardware becomes available easily accessible and cheap for the public to use, we will see applications that we can’t even dream of today (much like the explosion of the Web and its applications). That day is a long way away but each PoC, each lesson taught, each webinar viewed brings us one step closer to that future.
Rory Daniels
Rory joined techUK in June 2023 after three years in the Civil Service on its Fast Stream leadership development programme.
Laura Foster
Laura is techUK’s Associate Director for Technology and Innovation.
Elis Thomas
Elis joined techUK in December 2023 as a Programme Manager for Tech and Innovation, focusing on Semiconductors and Digital ID.