July 19, 2024 -- Elevate Quantum, a consortium of organizations based in Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming, recently announced that it received a Tech Hub Phase 2 Implementation award from the U.S. Department of Commerce, resulting in $127 million in funding. The award is expected to spur more than $2 billion in additional private capital and establish the Mountain West region as a global leader in quantum innovation and quantum economic and workforce development.  

As members of Elevate Quantum, Central New Mexico Community College (CNM) and University of Colorado-Boulder are designated as the workforce development leads. CNM Ingenuity, a workforce development arm of CNM, will partner with Sandia National Labs to develop the curriculum for an immersive 10-week (40 hours per week) Quantum Technician Bootcamp that will serve as a rapid workforce training program, and CNM will support other community colleges in the region to reproduce and expand the training. It will be part of CNM Ingenuity's successful Deep Dive Technology bootcamps.  

Quantum computers process information exponentially faster than today's computers, and they can solve problems that are impractical for today's computers. This will lead to breakthroughs in fields ranging from medicine and healthcare to cybersecurity and national security, to artificial intelligence and climate solutions, and on and on. Think of the impact of the internet's emergence. Quantum is expected to have a similar impact in the coming years and decades.  

In 2023, the Department of Commerce's Economic Development Agency (EDA) designated Elevate Quantum as one of 31 regional Tech Hubs out of nearly 400 applicants, making it eligible for up to $1 billion in federal investment over the next decade. With $40.5 million in initial EDA funding and matching funds from Colorado ($77 million) and New Mexico ($10 million), the $127 million investment represents a down payment on the next 50 years of US quantum leadership.  

Quantum technology will transform the economy and require a much larger workforce at all levels, including quantum technicians to service the technology and equipment. Recent projections already show that less than 50 percent of quantum computing jobs will be filled by 2025 without significant targeted efforts.  

"CNM is honored and excited to be on the leading edge of developing a robust quantum technician workforce that will support the economic growth of businesses using quantum technology in New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming," said CNM President Tracy Hartzler. "As a committed workforce training partner for the Elevate Quantum consortium, we look forward to partnering with quantum computing companies in the Mountain West, as well as the two National Labs in New Mexico, to create immersive, hands-on training that will quickly prepare and upskill learners for high-quality technician careers in this fast-emerging, transformative field. We'll also be partnering with community colleges around the region to share our insights and increase the overall capacity for quantum workforce training."

In partnership with Sandia National Labs, CNM Ingenuity will manage a Quantum Science Lab and the Quantum Technician Bootcamp, the first of its kind in the country. In April, CNM received $862,000 in federal funding to establish the lab and bootcamp. The lab is in the process of being equipped in CNM Ingenuity's FUSE Makerspace and is expected to be operational in February. The Quantum Technician Bootcamp is expected to launch in June 2025.  

In addition to CNM's workforce training efforts, local Elevate Quantum partners University of New Mexico, Los Alamos National Laboratories, and Sandia National Laboratories will be creating collaborative lab spaces to partner with start-ups and established quantum companies to expand economic opportunities. UNM and the state's National Labs have a long history in quantum science and engineering.