Skills / Labour Force – Quantum-Safe Canada

Migrating to Quantum-Safe Cryptography – Will organizations have the staff to do the necessary new work?

"The significant pool quantum-safe cybersecurity expertise needed to prepare for and respond the quantum threat to cryptography is not available and will take time to develop."

Canada and Canadian organizations lack the skills to address the quantum threat and its associated risks – see our March 2021 report, Quantum-Safe Cybersecurity Talent and Job Market Analysis (2020-21). There is a troubling shortage of quantum-safe skills within the current cybersecurity workforce and within the current cohort of students in Canada’s post-secondary cybersecurity programs. Given this, it is clear that action is called for in the educational arena.

In March 2022, Quantum-Safe Canada released a curriculum guide for educators, organizations and corporate trainers. The document, Organizational Migration to Quantum-Safe Cryptography: A Role-Based Framework, Learning Outcomes, and Curriculum Model, is designed to do the following:

Support training upskilling the existing workforce to deal with the migration to quantum-safe cryptography
Provide guidance to educational institutions on how to incorporate this into their current cybersecurity programs.

In October 2022, Quantum-Safe Canada released Organizational Migration to Quantum-Safe Cryptography – a Curriculum Guide. The curriculum guide focuses on four broad organizational work roles that would be involved ensuring the security of its organizational data:

Senior leaders who have leadership and fiduciary responsibilities for the organization
Technical advisors who have responsibility for effective and efficient technical infrastructure
Business advisors that provide business advice to senior leaders on business activities including necessary organizational technology, processes, procedures and resources
Technical workforce that can support design, develop, integrate, implement, security and lifecycle support for information technology (IT), operational technology (OT) or other technical infrastructure, systems and devices – including the internet of things (IoT).

In addition to the reports issued above, Quantum-Safe Canada developed several reports and guidance documents that underscores the need for quantum-readiness skills in organizations. It also held several leadership roundtables for discussion and feedback. The reports below are the results of their work.

2022 03 31 – GACG QSC Quantum-Safe Skills Development – An Analysis of International Models

2022 07 11 – The Quantum Threat and Curriculum Development in Canada

2022 12 30 – Quantum-Safe Training for Critical Infrastructure Regulators

2023 03 20 – Integrating Quantum-Safe Practices into Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity

2023 03 31 – Quantum-Safe Training – Leadership Series – Curriculum Enhancement Workshop for Educators

2023 03 31 – Quantum-Safe Training – Leadership Series – Critical Infrastructure Regulator Tabletop Exercise

2023 03 31 – Quantum-Safe Training – Leadership Series – Organizational Decision Maker Tabletop Exercise

2023 03 31 – Quantum-Safe Training – Leadership Series – Tabletop Exercise Participant Guide

2023 03 31 – Quantum-Safe Training – Leadership Series – Technical advisor and senior technical manager

2023 03 31 – Supplier Requirements for – Quantum-Safe Training Leadership Series

2023 04 06 – Quantum-Safe Canada – Preparing for quantum threats in critical infrastructure – Infographic

2023 07 14 – Quantum-Safe Training for FI Executives