Central New Mexico
Community College will be on leading edge for training
technicians to fill the fast-growing workforce needs of quantum
computing
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., May 2, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Central New Mexico
Community College (CNM) has received $862,000 in federal funding to establish a
quantum science lab and develop a quantum training bootcamp to
support the fast-growing workforce needs of this emerging
field.
"Quantum computing may seem like science fiction, but it is a
reality and New Mexico will be a
leading center for its practical applications across a multitude of
fields," says Kyle Lee, CEO of CNM
Ingenuity, a workforce development arm of CNM. "It is no longer
simply an emerging field, it is an economic engine across many
industries. With CNM's focus on connecting learners to training and
education that leads to high-quality employment, this is a breakout
career field. We will be one of the first and most accessible
programs to build out this exciting opportunity for individuals and
companies who want to harness quantum systems' extraordinary
capabilities."
CNM partners on this effort include Sandia National Laboratories
and the University of New Mexico, with
CNM Ingenuity managing the quantum science lab and workforce
training bootcamp. The initiative has been in the works for the
past year with a focus on creating a specialized quantum training
program similar to CNM Ingenuity's other successful Deep Dive
bootcamps, which include immersive 10- and 12-week bootcamps
focused on coding, data science, digital media, the internet of
things, and others that prepare learners for quality employment
after completion.
Quantum computers process information differently from
conventional computers that are prominent today, and they can solve
problems that are impractical for today's computers. This will lead
to improvements in medicine development/healthcare, more secure
online transactions and optimization of supply chains (quicker and
more efficient package delivery). Recent projections indicate that
less than 50 percent of quantum computing jobs will be filled by
2025 without significant targeted efforts.
"Over the course of the next few years we're going to see
quantum become more applicable to solving real world problems,
which will require more technicians to build and maintain quantum
systems," says Brian Rashap, an
instructor with CNM Ingenuity, a workforce training arm of CNM.
"With this funding, CNM will be at the forefront of building and
training that workforce."
Now that CNM has secured the federal funding, Rashap and his
team are working diligently to have the Quantum Learning Lab (QuLL)
and curriculum ready to run the first bootcamp at FUSE
Makerspace in spring 2025.
Through the bootcamp, students will learn about quantum
computing processes, vacuum systems, and lasers and optics to meet
the growing quantum workforce needs. By the end of the 10-week
program, students will have the necessary skills to build, operate,
and maintain several types of commonly used quantum systems. They
will also have the skills to become technicians in adjacent fields,
such as the semiconductor, solar, and opto-electronics fields.
"Like our other Deep Dive programs, students will learn the
theory and then immediately apply that theory through hands-on
activities in the QuLL," Rashap explains.
Along with the quantum certification students will earn through
CNM Ingenuity, CNM's School of Math, Science and
Engineering is also developing an Engineering Technician
program that will recognize the quantum bootcamp as Credit for
Prior Learning.
Over the next several months Rashap and his team will get the
QuLL ready at FUSE Makerspace and finalize the bootcamp curriculum
with the help of current quantum scientists from Sandia National Labs. While there is still work
to be done between now and spring 2025, Brian is looking forward to
offering a program that is not only unique to the state of
New Mexico, but the entire
country.
"There are very few formal quantum training programs like this,
so it's incredibly special that CNM is paving the way in that
sense," Brian says. "We're designing this program to serve
employers and students in a really cutting-edge way, so if you're
interested in this kind of hands-on, innovative training this is
the place to be."
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SOURCE Central New Mexico
Community College (CNM)