Why quantum needs diversity (and what we can do to achieve it)

Author - Stuart Woods

Working closely with The Quantum Insider, we recently released a video series called ‘Quantum Technology | Working in Quantum’ to encourage more people to think about a career in the industry and ultimately help drive further growth in the market.

I was keen to understand how far current initiatives go from a collaboration standpoint but also with regards to diversity? And what else can we do to encourage people to get involved?

During a recent conversation with Sue Daley at techUK and Celia Merzbacher, Executive Director, QED-C, we discussed these topics and more. We talked about initiatives that are in place already and new ideas to broaden market appeal.

“Undeniably, the UK quantum ecosystem is facing a skills shortage which is representative of the wider UK tech sector… The sector is hungry for talent to continue to grow. By bringing diverse voices into the wider tech sector – including the quantum ecosystem – we can create a thriving technology workforce representing all diverse voices.”

Stuart: Why is a diverse workforce so important to the commercial success of the quantum industry?

techUK: “To thrive in a quantum-powered future that includes everybody, we must ensure that we have all of our voices heard throughout designing, building, and testing quantum solutions. If we do not, we risk creating a group of technologies that continue to perpetuate biases and a world which does not work for everyone.

Quantum technologies are still emerging, which offers the opportunity to build a diverse culture that will help these technologies flourish. techUK fundamentally believes this opportunity needs to be realised across the entire ecosystem wherein industry, academia and government work together to ensure diversity is at the forefront of skills development.

Undeniably, the UK quantum ecosystem is facing a skills shortage, which is representative of the wider UK tech sector. Before the pandemic, the UK’s tech sector was growing at six times the rate of the wider economy. Even now, there are over 90,000 new job vacancies per week in digital in the UK being advertised. The sector is hungry for talent to continue to grow. By bringing diverse voices into the wider tech sector – including the quantum ecosystem – we can create a thriving technology workforce representing all diverse voices.

Alongside key interventions to develop quantum skills in the UK – identified in techUK’s quantum report - there is more that individuals and businesses in the quantum space can do to promote diversity:

• Showcase role models in their organisations, including those from diverse backgrounds;

• Highlight flexibility of roles and demonstrate clear career progression possibilities;

• Remove perceived barriers to entry.

The most effective approaches from techUK’s membership focus on four key areas: action in the community to inspire the next generation; attraction and recruitment; getting workplace culture right; and development of diversity”

Celia Merzbacher (QED-C): “Quantum science is emerging at the intersection of many disciplines and is distinct from existing industries. To make progress in tackling the problems that must be overcome, it will be essential that the workforce have a diversity of backgrounds, skills, and perspectives.”

Stuart: What are techUK and QED-C doing to support diversity?

techUK: “techUK and its members are committed to promoting diversity and inclusion. By building a workforce that reflects the diversity of society, we strive towards an inclusive future for all. To this end, techUK is actively working to open up new pathways for people from diverse backgrounds to thrive in the digital economy.

techUK is proud to support the Leaders As Change Agents Board’s Employer & Employee guide which has been specifically designed for CEOs and their leadership teams to help them deliver better inclusion, fairness, opportunity, and value for every UK employer and employee. The Guide sets out eight tangible commitments for adoption as the cornerstone of a better workplace. The guide also includes comprehensive step-by-step resource guidance to help organisations with adoption and effective delivery.

Furthermore, techUK supports the TTC Open Playbook, an open-source tool covering the entire pipeline, from creating inclusive cultures, recruiting great diverse talent, growing and retaining great teams and how to make the most of returner and retraining programmes. You can find a range of strategies, tools and resources compiled by our Signatories and D&I professionals that can be adapted to any organisation.

Celia Merzbacher (QED-C): “With support from IBM, a founding member of QED-C, five minority-serving institutions are academic members of QED-C. Students at QED-C academic members participate in various programs that are aimed at helping them understand career paths in quantum and at connecting them with opportunities, such as internships at QED-C companies.”

Stuart: Are there any existing initiatives that are worth sharing?

techUK: “There are several diversity initiatives across the UK tech sector as identified above, but more can be done in the quantum ecosystem to encourage diverse voices into the quantum ecosystem. This is especially crucial in the move towards commercialisation and as we identify use cases involving quantum technologies. For those working in quantum, it is not enough to just understand how the technology works. Instead, the talent pipeline needs to be sociotechnical to enable the exploration of ethical issues during commercialisation. We call for the upcoming Quantum Strategy to underscore the importance of responsible and ethical commercialisation of quantum technologies through the National Quantum Technologies Programme.”

Celia Merzbacher (QED-C): “The QED-C specifically has created a program called Office Hours where students can meet with industry scientists and engineers to ask questions and learn about quantum career opportunities and pathways.”

Stuart: What initiatives are needed to drive greater industry diversity? Do we have the skills or educational levels that we need to support the quantum ecosystem?

techUK: “To drive greater diversity into quantum, we need to develop the skills pipeline and lower the barriers to entry into a career in quantum.

It is unsustainable to develop a diverse talent pipeline where everyone working in quantum needs a PhD. However, at the moment, it can be difficult for those without a PhD to find technical roles within quantum. Undeniably, this creates a high barrier to entry for a career in quantum - a high barrier that the UK cannot shoulder when further compounded by intense international competition and the need to scale quickly for commercialisation.

To bring more voices into the quantum ecosystem, it is key that the UK Government and the tech sector collaborate on graduate programmes and internships to build connections between academia and industry, and lower barriers to entry. This could follow the UK Space Agency who operates a placement programme called SPIN (Space Placements in Industry) which co-funds paid work placements across the sector. This is already being explored internationally with quantum technologies and shows best practices for developing a quantum-enabled workforce. The United States Government (through the National Science Foundation) helps fund graduate students to gain knowledge, skills, and experiences for a successful long-term career through an internship in a non-academic setting and acquire core professional competencies and skills.

Celia Merzbacher (QED-C): “Initiatives that provide hands-on quantum-relevant experiences for students would create a pool of qualified talent that would be highly sought after by industry.

In 2021, the QED-C published the results of a study on quantum industry skills and educational levels that is available here. In brief, the analysis shows that there are diverse jobs and work roles, which have equally diverse skills requirements. Many of the jobs, such as circuit designer, software engineer and data scientist, do not require quantum-specific skills. Moreover, the degree (discipline and level) that employers would like the people filling those jobs to have is also diverse, with most NOT requiring a PhD."

Stuart: Do you see a place for the apprentice programs in the UK or the community college system in the US being leveraged to provide skills for quantum growth?

techUK: “Yes! Increasing routes into a career in quantum means increasing the opportunities we have to usher diverse voices into quantum as well.

Furthermore, quantum will require a range of skills outside of quantum engineering or physics, including data science, cloud skills, broad-based software development, and business skills like critical thinking, customer engagement and interview skills. Combining these skills with quantum awareness will help encourage careers in quantum. This underscores the importance of Government and industry to work together on education programs that accelerate cross-disciplinary programs that bridge engineering, science, business, and social sciences to develop graduates with an understanding of the huge potential of quantum, from both a technological and business perspective.”

Celia Merzbacher (QED-C): “Absolutely! Such institutions are very responsive to the demands of local industry and will naturally grow their programs to meet the needs. However, now is the time to kick-start such educational efforts by developing curricula and courses with input from industry that can be adapted and used by individual colleges and apprentice programs.”

Stuart: Do we believe that there should be free movement between like-minded countries involved in quantum?

techUK: “techUK’s Quantum Report emphasises that the UK needs to remain attractive to international talent. Enhancing visa flexibility for quantum talent, including short-term access for academic-industry placements and internships, will be crucial so that we hire the best and brightest to progress the UK’s quantum journey.

Facilitating the movement of people (both short-term movement and long-term migration) should be an objective of future trade agreements. The UK should look to secure more generous visas as part of UK trade agreements, for example, building on provisions that allow for short-term mobility, such as those allowed under CETA, and carving out new pathways for long-term migration.”

Celia Merzbacher (QED-C): “The emerging industry and workers will benefit, and technologies will advance more rapidly if there is greater mobility of talent among like-minded countries. It will also benefit national interests to collaborate with others who share values related to protection of IP, scientific reciprocity and keeping a level playing field for businesses to compete.”

*First published by Stuart Woods on LinkedIn