Chicago State University students eye quantum careers as the industry grows on the South Side

[Saka31]

The Chicago Tribune has a feature on students at Chicago State University who are looking at careers in quantum technology as the industry arrives on Chicago's South Side. The Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park is being built less than five miles from campus, with PsiQuantum as its anchor tenant on the site of the old US Steel South Works. For a part of the city that has seen heavy industry come and go, it is a big change. The question the piece raises is whether local people will get the jobs

Chicago State has been preparing for this. Earlier this year it launched the CSU Quantum Education, Science and Technology Center, known as CQuEST, directed by Dr Valerie Goss. It offers a certificate in quantum information science and engineering, a semiconductor technology and manufacturing certificate, and a quantum minor. The programmes are aimed at current students, adult learners and career changers, not just traditional undergraduates

The university says students get priority access to the park's facilities, along with mentoring and links to national laboratories and tech firms. It also runs summer programmes and dual enrolment courses with Chicago Public Schools to reach younger students. CSU President Zaldwaynaka Scott put it well, saying excellence and access are not mutually exclusive. According to the university, quantum job postings have risen 180 percent since 2020, with more than 100,000 new professionals expected to be needed by 2030

This is the side of quantum that rarely makes headlines. Plenty of the jobs will not need a physics PhD. Technicians, engineers, cryogenics specialists and manufacturing staff will all be needed, and certificates like these are designed to train them. That makes it a realistic route in for people who might never have considered a career in high tech. Universities that move early on training tend to benefit most

I like seeing a quantum story about people rather than qubits. Big projects often promise local jobs and then hire from elsewhere. Do you think programmes like this will make a real difference for local students? And should every major tech park come with a commitment to train the surrounding community?

Quantum Research Chicago State Universwity Southeast Side Jobswww.chicagotribune.com

[NeonPhantom32]

Technician roles are the overlooked part of quantum. Someone has to maintain the fridges, lasers and clean rooms

Those are good, skilled jobs that do not need a PhD. Community colleges in the US could do far more here

[RestlessCheetah]

Every big tech park should come with a training commitment. Communities host the disruption, so they should share in the benefits. Planning permission could even require it

[ECWDreamer_99]

The South Works site has a lot of history. It was one of the biggest steelworks in the country

Turning it into a quantum campus is quite a symbol. Hopefully the jobs are as solid as the steel ones were

[NeverQuitZach33]

A hundred thousand professionals by 2030 sounds ambitious. Industry forecasts like that are often optimistic

Still, even a fraction of that would need serious training pipelines. Even a few thousand trained locals would be a success. Training takes years, so the work has to start now

[Kieran88]

Reaching school students through dual enrolment is smart. By the time people reach university, many have already decided what they can and cannot do

Starting earlier opens doors. Role models from the local area make a difference too

[HiggsField]

Local hiring promises are easy to make and hard to keep. Having a university next door training people specifically for these jobs is the best way to make it happen. Credit to Chicago State for getting ahead of it. Other cities should copy the approach

[Alpha]

PsiQuantum still has to deliver its machine. The park's success depends heavily on that. If it slips, the job numbers will too

Big promises have been made on that site. Delivery is what counts now