Policy areas
Focus areas of research and analysis
Education, skills and workforce development
We propose an 8-point plan to help build a resilient, equitable and future-ready quantum skills pipeline and workforce
Towards a quantum technology skills charter
The challenges and opportunities related to the development and adoption of quantum technologies are numerous, diverse and complex. Addressing these evolving issues requires a proactive and coordinated approach involving dialogue among multiple stakeholders from the public, private and third sectors across the globe. At the same time, governments and industry must balance investment with uncertainties concerning the maturity and scalability of the technology.
In the infographic below, we outline eight high-level, cross-cutting policy considerations, each accompanied by examples of enabling actions that could strengthen skills, talent and workforce development in quantum technologies. We recognise that many of these ideas will require careful planning and coordination, appropriate incentives and sustained long-term investment involving public and private sector and civil society entities in the quantum technology educational and workforce landscape. These policy considerations will also need to be assessed together with wider, system-level structural measures in countries, including, for example, immigration and visa policies. Furthermore, it is vital that these proposed actions are not considered in isolation, but rather in conjunction with various activities and initiatives related to broader quantum technology governance matters that seek to responsibly develop the technology while balancing opportunities and risks.
Together, the eight policy considerations form a set of cross-cutting guiding principles that could underpin a future Quantum Technology Skills Charter – a collective statement of intent, ambition and commitment among stakeholders to build a resilient, equitable and future-ready quantum technology skills pipeline and workforce.
Source: Gunashekar, Salil and Teodora Chis, Navigating skills and talent development for quantum technology: Current insights and future horizons, RAND Corporation, RR-A3889-1, 2025. As of September 15, 2025: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA3889-1.html
You can view an alternative layout of the 8-point plan on page 6 in our report.
How did we develop the action plan?
The 8-point plan originally appears in our report, Navigating skills and talent development for quantum technology: Current insights and future horizons, which built on discussions that took place at an in-person roundtable in Copenhagen organised by RAND Europe and the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
The 8-point plan was developed based on insights generated during the roundtable, which was conducted under the Chatham House Rule and brought together participants from academia, industry, government and the third sector. Through a mix of presentations, panel discussions and breakout sessions, participants explored barriers, enablers and future strategies for developing quantum technology skills and talent.
The findings (including the 8-point plan) reflect diverse perspectives and aim to inform and inspire further policy debate and contribute to the broader stakeholder discourse on quantum technology skills and talent, as policy on these key issues develops. The policy considerations included in the 8-point plan also draw on RAND Europe’s broader body of research into emerging technology policy. As such, they reflect both the perspectives of roundtable participants and our wider experience in analysing complex policy challenges associated with emerging technologies.
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