Webinar on the Impact of Quantum Technologies on the Future of Learning and Capacity Development

ITCILO advances the UN Quintet of Change, offering a collaborative environment to pilot cutting‑edge capacity‑building strategies that drive transformative social progress. Building on the success of our neurotechnology webinar, the ITCILO hosted a second webinar of this series on how quantum technologies are poised to reshape both the tools and methodologies of learning and capacity development. This webinar examined not only the theoretical underpinnings of quantum information science but also its practical implications for training platforms, data security in educational contexts, and the design of adaptive learning systems. Participants explored how quantum advances can be harnessed through a human‑centred lens, while critically assessing necessary policy, legal and ethical frameworks around privacy, consent, and equitable access.

OBJECTIVES

The webinar convened ITCILO’s learning and capacity development experts alongside representatives from UN agencies, academia, the private sector, technologists, and policymakers to explore the future of learning in the age of quantum technologies. By bringing together these complementary voices, the event aimed to foster a multi‑stakeholder dialogue on how quantum computing, quantum sensing and related innovations are reshaping educational practice, to raise awareness of the imminent shifts in capacity‑building methodologies, and to pinpoint both the opportunities for deploying quantum‑enabled tools in learning environments and the challenges they pose—particularly around data integrity, digital divides, and regulatory oversight.

CONTENT

• Keynote on Quantum for Decent Work - Ms. Celeste Drake (ILO): Framing how quantum technologies can be harnessed to advance decent work and social justice, setting the stage for their role in capacity development interventions.

• Study Insights & Assessment Framework - Dr. Chris Percy (CSP Resources): Presentation of the “Quantum Technologies and the Future of Learning” study, including its taxonomy of quantum tools, an assessment matrix for readiness, and the study’s principal findings.

• UN Global Readiness Perspective - Ms. Jing Zhao (UNESCO): Contextualization within the UN International Year of Quantum, highlighting UNESCO’s strategies to build global equity in quantum literacy and capacity development.

• Corporate Responsibility in Quantum Innovation - Dr. Mira L. Wolf‑Bauwens (IBM Research Europe): Exploration of ethical frameworks and CSR imperatives for quantum computing R&D, with emphasis on responsible design and deployment in learning environments.

• Academic & Pedagogical Implications - Prof. Bartolomeo Montrucchio (Politecnico di Torino): Insights into integrating quantum computing concepts into curricula and preparing institutions for evolving research paradigms.

NUMBER OF HOURS: 2