SQA expands Industry Experience Program

NSW Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology, the Hon. Anoulack Chanthivong MP announced the Sydney Quantum Academy (SQA) Industry Experience Program as part of his closing address at the Quantum Future Talent 2026 Careers Fair – Australia’s largest quantum careers event.

The program aims to tackle one of the biggest challenges in enticing more people to pursue careers in the booming quantum field – the historically limited opportunities to step inside real-world industry settings.

The SQA Industry Experience Program broadens access to hands-on quantum industry experiences beyond traditional postgraduate pathways. Undergraduate students and others will also have the chance to participate, helping to expand and further diversify Australia’s quantum talent pipeline.

With the CSIRO predicting upwards of 19,400 people will work in local quantum jobs in an industry worth $6 billion by 2045, the race to attract skilled and versatile quantum talent is intensifying.

Attendees at the Quantum Future Talent Careers Fair had the chance to win the first three fully-funded places in the program, valued at $700. 

Minister Chanthivong announced the three winners at the event, with the recipients gaining access to a six-day, hands-on program providing practical experience in superconducting quantum device fabrication and characterisation that are critical to the sector. 

Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology Anoulack Chanthivong said:

“Initiatives like this are about more than just growing skills. They’re about creating a sustained, future-ready quantum workforce pipeline.  Because we know: when students gain early exposure to real industry environments, they are more likely to pursue careers in the field – and are more likely to succeed.”

“By giving students early, direct exposure to cutting edge technologies and real industry challenges, we’re helping them build confidence, capability and a clearer understanding of the career pathways available in quantum.”

SQA Director, Professor Peter Turner said:

“Access to industry experience has the potential to be transformative."

"This initiative builds on SQA’s strong track record, with Honours and Master's students already engaged through a pilot program – continuously refining the model to make it more student-friendly and more aligned with industry needs, based on direct feedback."

"As a result, the program is now ready to be expanded more broadly – across the full talent spectrum, including undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD students, as well as industry professionals looking to upskill in quantum. It also has the promise and potential to grow over time in terms of scale. SQA is working with partners to develop this nationally, with the ambition of supporting 40 students annually through similarly structured and complementary industry experience programs in NSW and around the country.”

More details of the program will be announced in due course.

About Quantum Future Talent 2026 Careers Fair

Following a sold-out event last year, the 2026 Quantum Future Talent Careers Fair featured more than 30 exhibitors and a series of keynote and panel sessions with leading voices across Australia’s quantum ecosystem, to empower aspiring quantum specialists with an understanding of the job-ready skills needed to thrive.

This included:

• Dr Cathy Foley AO PSM – Australia’s 9th Chief Scientist and Chair of SQA’s Executive Board. Keynote: Australia’s Quantum Future: Building the talent pipeline for a global industry

• Professor Barney Glover AO – Jobs and Skills Commissioner of Australia. Featured keynote

• Panel – Preparing Australia’s Quantum Workforce: Future-proofing your career path, featuring:

Industry Spotlight featuring:

This year’s event also introduced a new feature: Industry Meets Talent speed networking – giving more than 40 candidates the chance to meet leading industry representatives 1:1 in a dedicated session. Participating organisations: BTQ, Diraq, Emergence Quantum and QUBIC.