Dr Simon Wong
Education, Training and Outreach Programme Manager, Irish Centre for High-End Computing
Gain cutting-edge quantum computing skills with the quantum programming foundations course, developed in collaboration with top industry and academic partners.
The Irish Centre for High-End Computing (ICHEC) at the University of Galway is the National High-Performance Computing (HPC) centre. ICHEC provides high-performance computing and data platforms, services and support to academia and industry across different sectors in Ireland.
Accessible quantum computing course
While many of its courses are aimed at those enrolled in third-level higher educational institutions, ICHEC has embarked on new directions in providing on-the-job training and continuous professional development for the Irish workforce.
With support from the EuroCC projects (co-funded by the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking and the Government of Ireland Department of Further and Higher Education Research Innovation and Science) and Technology Ireland ICT Skillnet (part of Skillnet Ireland), it has developed a new course offering, called ‘Quantum Programming Foundations.’
The course is designed to be accessible to a wide learner group, including researchers from any scientific discipline, as well as technical and leadership professionals from industry and the public sector.
Addressing quantum skills needs
Quantum computing is a rapidly evolving paradigm of HPC with huge potential to solve currently intractable computational problems. It has attracted billions of investments from governments, the EU and industry (from SMEs to multinationals).
The Quantum Programming Foundations course, developed with input from an industry advisory board of Irish and global organisations across various sectors, focuses on skills needed in industries such as financial services, engineering, aerospace, electronic devices, pharmaceuticals, IT solutions and consulting. It targets current and aspiring industry technical leaders who wish to learn the capabilities, potential impact and latest trends and tools in quantum technologies.
Quantum programming micro-credential
The Quantum Programming Foundations course is also being launched as a micro-credential offering. It is a Level 8, 5 ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) course delivered over 12 weeks. It blends synchronous and asynchronous activities, allowing flexibility to learn at one’s own pace.
Europe is increasingly supporting internationally recognised micro-credentials for flexible, targeted skill acquisition, making advanced digital skills like HPC more accessible to the Irish workforce.
