IBM Quantum is offering a path for people with all development backgrounds to earn a certification in programming with Qiskit, allowing them to leverage their quantum coding skills into a potential opportunity in the workforce, according to a company blog post.
“Our team is extremely proud to be able to offer the first ever quantum developer certification. We hope its availability will provide a valuable learning path for developers and stakeholders looking to prepare themselves for quantum computing in the future,” the IBM team wrote.
The IBM Quantum Developer Certification is a 60-question certification exam offered on the Pearson VUE platform. Those who pass the exam will have demonstrated experience using Qiskit to create and execute quantum computing programs on IBM quantum computers and simulators, and the ability to perform these tasks with little to no assistance from product documentation, support, or peers. The exam is available globally and is in English.
Building the future quantum workforce is crucial to the IBM Quantum and Qiskit mission, according to the IBM team. IBM is involved in equipping educators with access to IBM Quantum tools through the Quantum Educators program, while offering high-quality educational material via the Introduction to Quantum Computing and Quantum Hardware semester-long course, and our acclaimed Learn Quantum Computation Using Qiskit textbook. Central to our mission is building a truly diverse and global quantum computing ecosystem, as demonstrated by the IBM-HBCU Quantum Center and our collaboration with The Coding School, both bringing quantum computing to underrepresented groups in the field.
“We hope its availability will provide a valuable learning path for developers and stakeholders looking to prepare themselves for quantum computing in the future.”
Qiskit allows anyone to program real quantum computing hardware, requiring only Python and a basic knowledge of linear algebra as a prerequisite. Since IBM launched Qiskit in 2017, thousands of users have developed applications, maintained and improved code, and taken part in both live and virtual hackathons, summer schools, and other educational opportunities to build this vibrant, open-source community, according to the authors.
Because cost can serve as an impediment to those hoping to receive credentials, the IBM team said they plan to roll out scholarships to developers interested in the certification.
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