Quantum IT companies are learning from the not made during the boom in artificial intelligence and investing massively in training programs to ensure that the emerging industry maintains its momentum.
The objective is to avoid a shortage of talents such as AI companies are trying to navigate. Although hiring for Roles related to AI has increased in recent years, the pool of potential workers with educational history and technical know-how to form large languages models, write AI algorithms and the engineer of new AI applications has not followed.
Erik Garcell, Director of Development of the Quantum Company at the Quantum Calculation Software Company, Classiq Technologies, told Business Insider that quantum IT companies had taken note of the hiring challenges to which the AI industry and try to bypass them before they become a problem.
“At Classiq, we actually have a whole academic program that we demonstrate here, working with universities to deploy a quantum program, because all schools do not have one, and those who do it, we try to plead for more on the practical side of things,” said Garcell.
The research published by the international consulting company Randstad in November revealed that 75% of companies adopt AI and hiring for AI -related roles. However, only 35% of talents received training on AI in the past year. This work pool is accompanied by a large age gap, with only one in five baby boomers offering IA skills development opportunities, compared to almost half of workers of the Z generation, and a percentage gender difference in 42 points favoring men.
This difference persists despite an increase in the need for new talents. PWC found in its employment barometer in 2024 that the share of jobs that require specialized IA skills has increased by 700% since 2016 – three times the rate of other types of jobs – and having AI skills has the potential of a 25% wage premium.
The quantum industry talent basin, which is only a fraction of the size of the field of AI, is even smaller, but demand increases. The commercial publication The Initiate Quantum indicated that quantum IT should create around 250,000 new jobs by 2030, going to 840,000 by 2035.
Preparation of Quantum’s “chatgpt moment”
Quantum IT is a rapid development area attracting a major interest of technology giants such as IBM, Microsoft, Nvidia and Google. Since it combines computer science, mathematics and quantum mechanics, it remains deeply technical and expensive to move forward.
But while industry is still in its infancy, Garcell said that the main players in the quantum field believe that its potential advantages – including progress in medicine, material science and cybersecurity – are worth an early investment to guarantee that a shortage of talent does not derail its progress.
“IBM has really expressed a lot of very good educational content for quantum computer science; they fed the industry very early with that,” said Garcell. “I am very happy to say that they have a lot of very great learning, as with companies like Pennylane, just excellent educational content for free in which you can start diving.”
IBM has teamed up with quantum startups like Q-CTRL to build its quantum learning program, which includes free online courses describing fundamental subjects such as the construction of quantum algorithms and error correction codes. Other companies, such as Google, Pennylane and Microsoft, offer similar independent courses with completion certificates to identify those who have quantum skills on demand that recruiters are looking for.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Chicago and the University of California in Berkeley offer some of the most complete quantum computer courses available in university establishments.
Garcell said he had recently taught a three -day introductory course to present the university student body to quantum technology. The school is also associated with Classiq to offer an official online certification course.
“Right now, this is only the ideal moment to find content for those who just want to get their hands dirty with quantum computers,” said Garcell. “In the industry, there have been a lot of discussions on the moment when we are going to have the” Chatppt moment “, when everyone turns their heads and says:” Oh, this technology exists! “Where they might not know that it existed before.
businessinsider
