The Quantum Forge: A Partnership-Based Model for QISE Workforce Preparation

As the second quantum revolution gains momentum, stakeholders in academia and industry alike are investigating the means by which to prepare a highly-skilled and diverse workforce for the ballooning number of QIS jobs at all levels. Foundational research by Fox, Zwickl, and Lewandowski has, for example, articulated sets of core skills valued by employers in quantum industry. Intriguingly, many of these desired aptitudes do not require extensive specialist training, allowing for the potential of appreciable quantum workforce training at the undergraduate level complementary to more typical graduate instruction. Working with local Colorado industry partners, the Q-SEnSE NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute has designed and piloted a new model of capstone experience in the University of Colorado Boulder physics department, the Quantum Forge. In Quantum Forge, students work directly with industry mentors on company projects while gaining facility with quantum concepts and skills. We will here discuss Quantum Forge design philosophy, course content for the 2023-2024 academic year, and the experience of the first QForge cohort, including course assessment efforts and preliminary findings of relevance to the question of workforce preparation, both at CU Boulder and beyond.