Chattanooga launches nation’s first quantum pre-apprenticeship program
The 12-week paid program, designed to help working professionals lead their organizations in quantum technology adoption, marks yet another first for Chattanooga's growing quantum résumé.
The Chattanooga Quantum Collaborative (CQC) and BuildWithin just launched the nation’s first quantum pre-apprenticeship.
The inaugural “Quantum Ready Cohort” runs June 29 through Sept. 18, 2026, and will take 10 participants. Each graduate receives a $2,500 stipend, funded by a National Science Foundation grant.
While other quantum programs cater to researchers or physicists, this program is designed for professionals like IT specialists, analysts and operations leaders within logistics, healthcare, energy and technology.
“This is an important step in translating quantum from something people hear about into something professionals can engage with directly,” said Charlie Brock, CEO of the CQC. “Innovation often starts with people already inside organizations who are curious about what’s next. We’re activating those intrapreneurs and giving them a structured pathway to bring quantum back to their teams.”
Programming inspired by local organizations
The program’s local impact will be twofold. First off, the programming will be inspired by companies with a local presence like IonQ, IBM and others. Secondly, the program will upskill the area’s existing workforce and support local industry.
“Helping local professionals prepare for future economic opportunity as Chattanooga positions itself as a hub for the emerging quantum technology industry is part of EPB’s mission to serve our community,” said EPB President and CEO-elect Janet Rehberg. “Quantum technology is no longer theoretical. Companies are already using quantum to create growth opportunities. We’re working to help people in our area benefit from quantum advancement and job creation.”
The Mayor of Chattanooga agrees.
“Quantum has the potential to define Chattanooga’s economic future and partnerships are key to its success,” said Mayor Tim Kelly. “A pre-apprenticeship that’s accessible to working Chattanoogans across a variety of technical fields is another step in preparing our workforce for what’s coming.”
A model other regions can use
The program is built on the Department of Labor’s federal apprenticeship framework, making it easy for other states and cities to replicate. This replicability is intentional. While much of the workforce conversation today is focused on AI, it hasn’t always been that way. Program partners say regions that wait to adopt quantum risk the same adoption lag that slowed cloud and AI adoption across the country by years.
“Every wave of transformative technology scales through workers who solve problems where they sit. Cloud did. AI is. Quantum will too,” said Philip Minardi, co-founder of BuildWithin. “We built this program with CQC so Chattanooga’s mid-career professionals can become their company’s quantum expert through a structured, proven pre-apprenticeship pathway.”
Learn more and apply by May 31, 2026.
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