The Gibraltar government, in collaboration with the University of Gibraltar, has created an advisory group to study and develop blockchain-related educational classes. In a press release on October 19, 2018, the government announced this joint initiative, which will be called the New Technologies in Education Group. Leading technology firms in the country will join the university and national government in developing skills and knowledge needed for blockchain management in the private sector and government. The courses should be released by the group in late 2018 or early 2019. They will be backed with significant input from industry players who are getting licensed for blockchain trading by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission. According to Gilbert Licuidi, who is a Queen's Counsel and Minister of the University of Gibraltar, providing access to innovative courses that are backed by input from experts will help with the development of sustainable distributed ledger technology for Gibraltar's businesses. Part of the initiative involves having the University of Gibraltar develop and enhance the current level of expertise in new technologies such as smart contracts, coding and digital ledgers. The university will issue a Professional Certificate of Competence for people who complete all of the coursework. The government of Gibraltar explained that the national leaders want the small country to function as a hub for new technology and to be the first jurisdiction to establish legislation around distributed ledger technology. The Gibraltar government explained that only 27 percent of worldwide universities offer blockchain-related coursework. About half of the universities around the world offer related classes. In a Coinbase study conducted in August 2018, cryptocurrency and blockchain classes are most popular in the United States compared to other countries around the world. New York University's Stern School of Business was the first university in the United States to offer a major in blockchain technology. So may students were interested in the classes and major that the university doubled the number of classes in the subject after the first year. As interest in learning about the technology grows, more universities in the United States and around the world will follow.