Discover untapped potential to boost student success and close equity gaps
The Student-Centered Design (SCD) team at Seattle Jobs Initiative (SJI) partners with higher education and training institutions to make systems and programs more responsive to the needs of underserved students. We dive into challenges, conduct research, and develop solutions to support low-income students to post-secondary and employment success.
Backed by SJI’s experience as a leading workforce intermediary, our versatile team brings domain knowledge, research, facilitation, and project management expertise to each of our collaborations.
To learn more, read about our approach, explore our service offerings, or look at a recent case study.
Our Approach
We use a blend of tools and techniques to get you from point A to point B
Improvement Science
Using small, rapid tests to make sustainable improvements
Human-Centered Design
Putting the needs of students, staff, and faculty at the center of program and system design
Applied Behavioral Science
Understanding how students behave and make decisions in real-life contexts
What We Offer
Practical tools, support, and insights to better understand and meet student needs
Improve your programs, identify hidden potential, and effectively utilize resources–below are ways in which we can partner to further your student success work and goals.
Student-Centered Program Assessment
Assess effectiveness and impact through an equity lens
Research Support
Understand where, why, and how students are struggling
Intervention Design
Co-design solutions to remove critical student roadblocks
Process Improvement
Eliminate friction and “sludge” in your processes and systems
Work In Action: A Case Study
Turning No-Shows Into Full Classrooms
A large education and training provider believed the intake process at one of its training centers was contributing to a large number of “no-shows” on the first day of class. The SCD team worked with the provider to develop a problem statement and hypothesis for the high number of no-shows, then vetted the hypothesis by surveying students, observing the intake process and classes, and reviewing recruitment, enrollment, and persistence data.
This process enabled us to pinpoint previously unidentified factors driving the no-show numbers, prompting a revision of the initial hypothesis. SCD and the provider then designed and tested a package of targeted interventions to address the key contributing factors. The results showed a statistically significant decline in no-shows when compared with the previous quarter.
About Seattle Jobs Initiative (SJI)
SJI is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting low-income individuals on a pathway to a living-wage career. We offer education and training opportunities for low-income individuals, and also provide research, evaluation, and technical assistance to government, funders, community colleges, and community-based organizations. For over 20 years, we have been a workforce intermediary committed to improving systems to benefit low-income job seekers both regionally and nationally.
