Sydney Quantum Academy launches learning hub & careers event

Sydney Quantum Academy has launched a Quantum Learning Hub and hosted a quantum careers event in Chatswood as it seeks to broaden public understanding of quantum technologies.

The sold-out event, Quantum Future Talent: From Curiosity to Career, brought together more than 500 Year 8 to 12 students, teachers, careers advisers and members of the public. It was designed to explain career pathways into quantum and make the subject more accessible beyond university researchers and specialists.

The Learning Hub is a curated collection of quantum education resources intended to help more people engage with the field. Schools attending the event also received curriculum-aligned materials for teachers and students covering training pathways and core quantum concepts.

The initiative comes amid low public awareness and rising industry expectations. According to the State of Australian Quantum Report 2024, only 27% of Australians had heard of quantum technologies.

Sydney Quantum Academy also pointed to CSIRO forecasts that Australia's quantum sector could support 19,400 jobs by 2045 and contribute AUD $6 billion to the local economy. It cited McKinsey research showing there is currently one qualified candidate for every three quantum jobs advertised globally.

Professor Peter Turner, Director of Sydney Quantum Academy, said the gap between labour demand and supply is already evident.

"The future of quantum is not decades away - it's already taking shape today - and the workforce needed to support it is growing just as quickly," Turner said.

He said the event was part of the broader task of preparing students and jobseekers for an emerging part of the economy.

"Globally, demand for quantum talent is already outpacing supply, creating significant opportunities for students and future jobseekers. For every three quantum jobs on offer globally, there is currently only one qualified candidate ready to fill them.

We want participants to leave the event with a better understanding of quantum, why it matters, and how they can be part of this emerging industry," Turner said.

Public understanding

Quantum technologies remain difficult for many people to define, partly because the term covers a wide range of applications, from sensing and communications to computing. At the Chatswood event, Sydney Quantum Academy combined demonstrations, talks and careers information rather than focusing solely on research.

The programme included hands-on demonstrations, presentations from researchers including Scientia Professor Andrea Morello of UNSW Sydney, and 20 exhibitors. Visitors also got a preview of Questacon's exhibition, Quantum Tomorrow: Imagined Futures, which uses visual and artistic displays to present possible applications of quantum science in areas including farming, food, sport and beauty.

Michaela Ripper, Exhibition Developer at Questacon, said one aim was to reduce the sense that quantum is closed off to non-specialists.

"Quantum has a reputation for being complex and mysterious, but our goal is to show that you don't need to be a physicist to explore the potential of quantum technologies - just like how you don't need to be a computer engineer to use computers," Ripper said.

She said the technologies already have a place in everyday life.

"We already use quantum technologies every day - lasers, LEDs, GPS and the transistors in computer chips all rely on the quantum behaviours of their components to work.

The next generation of quantum technologies will be no different - they'll impact all of us, so we want everyone to feel welcomed into this conversation," Ripper said.

Education focus

Sydney Quantum Academy is a collaboration between the University of Sydney, Macquarie University, UNSW Sydney and the University of Technology Sydney, alongside industry and government partners. It is focused on training and outreach as Australia seeks to build a larger workforce in advanced technologies.

That emphasis reflects a wider issue facing the sector. While quantum has attracted investment and policy attention in Australia and overseas, the pool of people with relevant technical training remains limited. Outreach to school students is increasingly seen as one way to build awareness before university course choices are made.

By focusing on secondary school students, teachers and careers advisers, the Chatswood event aimed to intervene early in that process. The teacher and student resources distributed through the programme were framed around both subject knowledge and practical pathways into further study.

The event was supported by the Australian Government through a National Science Week grant. The attendance and launch of the Learning Hub suggest Sydney Quantum Academy sees public education as a necessary part of building the sector, not just a side activity to research.

CSIRO's estimate of 19,400 jobs by 2045 and a AUD $6 billion industry provides a benchmark for those efforts, but the more immediate challenge is simpler: persuading more Australians to understand what quantum is and where it might lead.