For much of the last decade, quantum computing has been viewed as an area of immense but unrealised potential. It was perceived as a transformative technology that seemed to be just over the horizon. While the promise was clear, the practical timelines for its arrival remained elusive.

The prospect of quantum advantage, the point at which quantum computers outperform classical computation at commercially useful tasks, is no longer distant but imminent. The Boston Consulting Group predicts that quantum computing is on track to create up to $850 billion in economic value by 2040. Leading companies like IBM are predicting small-scale demonstrations of quantum advantage as soon as this year, and at Q-CTRL, we forecast that quantum computers will be powerful enough to solve problems that are both commercially relevant and beyond the capabilities of classical computers by 2028.

Industry leaders who prioritize quantum computing as part of their technology transformation roadmaps today avoid the strategic delays seen during the AI revolution and secure a first-mover advantage. However, the ability of any business seeking to extract value from this technology depends entirely on the readiness of its workforce. A challenge Q-CTRL’s Black Opal quantum training platform can solve for any organisation.

 

The real quantum bottleneck will be talent, not technology

Recent McKinsey projections indicate that there is already a talent shortage, with only one qualified candidate available for every two quantum job openings. Similarly, QuEra found that 37% of organisations cited a lack of skilled workers as one of the biggest obstacles to the practical application of quantum computing.

Up until now, the focus has been on technology roadmaps. However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that as the hardware matures, the true bottleneck will be a lack of people who know how to leverage it.

The talent demand isn’t just limited to quantum specialists with PhDs. As with any emerging technology, multidisciplinary roles across an organization will require a foundational understanding of quantum computing and an appreciation of how it will impact their role or their industry. For example:

• Executive leadership needs to understand the strategic reasons for adopting a new technology, the expected timelines for ROI, and the competitive landscape.
• Domain experts need to recognise which of their computationally complex and demanding problems are candidates for achieving an advantage, such as time and cost efficiency or improved accuracy with quantum computing.
• Product, marketing, and sales teams need to become quantum conversant to bridge the gap between a new technology and its commercial utility for their customers.

Integrating quantum computing workforce development into existing corporate learning programs is the most effective way to ensure successful adoption.

 

Black Opal is the turnkey quantum workforce development solution

Black Opal by Q-CTRL is the leading interactive and accessible quantum learning platform. Its visual and bite-sized learning modules are designed to make learning quantum computing intuitive and engaging for everyone, regardless of their background.

One of Black Opal’s greatest strengths is its versatility. In an educational institution, it serves as a powerful supplement to a traditional curriculum through interactive learning modules that complement study in adjacent fields like science, engineering, and mathematics.

In an enterprise organisation, it serves as the primary engine for upskilling the quantum workforce. Beyond content, Black Opal is a truly turnkey workforce development solution. For L&D and HR leaders, this means the platform is ready to deploy at scale immediately. It features robust, built-in user administration tools for user management, progress tracking, and course customisation. Black Opal also integrates seamlessly with existing corporate infrastructure, such as compatibility with all major learning management systems (LMS) through industry standards like SCORM, xAPI, and LTI. This eliminates the onboarding friction often associated with introducing new specialised learning tools.

 

Manage organisational learning outcomes at scale

Black Opal provides a suite of enterprise features designed to ensure learning outcomes are both measurable and aligned with business goals.

Key features include:

• Assignments and customisation: Create distinct learning pathways for different cohorts by selecting specific modules to create a bespoke syllabus suited to your learners.
• Applied quantum application skills: Focus on practical understanding with Black Opal’s quantum applications learning modules. Each Applications skill focuses on use cases that are already demonstrating commercial utility, such as logistics optimisation, chemistry simulation, finance, or cybersecurity.
• Exams, assessments, and automatic grading: Leverage built-in assessments to enable L&D managers to grade and recognise understanding, without requiring subject matter expertise themselves.

 

See how leading organisations are achieving quantum readiness with Black Opal

Black Opal is already achieving global impact. We are proud to be delivering results for public organisations and industry leaders. In the UK, these include:

• The National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC): In the UK, Black Opal is a foundational educational tool for the NQCC. By granting access to Black Opal for businesses and educational institutions throughout the country, it is helping to establish a baseline of quantum literacy across the national ecosystem.
• Digital Catapult: Through the Quantum Technology Access Programme (QTAP), Digital Catapult is utilising Black Opal to upskill diverse cohorts, bringing industry leaders from companies like Airbus and Rolls-Royce together to foster industry partnerships and to drive the future adoption and commercialisation of quantum computing.
• HSBC: Workforce development is a strategic investment for leading financial organisations. HSBC has selected Black Opal as the cornerstone of its quantum upskilling strategy by rolling it out enterprise-wide. By collaborating with Q-CTRL to build customised learning pathways tailored to specific roles, HSBC is bridging the gap between research scientists and business teams.
• University of Hull: Black Opal was deployed as a turn-key solution to both support existing quantum computing courses and to provide a framework to further reinforce skills learned. Students found Black Opal to be a useful and engaging resource that improved their understanding, and educators observed better engagement with the subject, leading to longer-lasting knowledge and comprehension retention.

 

Prepare your quantum workforce of the future, today

The quantum era will confer a competitive advantage to those who are prepared. For L&D and HR leaders, the mandate is clear: start building the workforce of the future today.

Meet the Q-CTRL team at Learning Technologies 2026! We invite you to join us at the Learning Technologies Awards Theatre to see Black Opal in action and to discuss your workforce development goals.

Don’t miss the chance to see why the Learning Technologies judges recognised Black Opal as a Gold winner for excellence in design. We look forward to helping you build your quantum future.