Increasing KNOWLEDGE of the Value of Education & Training
SJI seeks to significantly increase the number of low-income residents who understand the benefits of education and training leading to at least a one-year postsecondary credential and who complete an educational plan to advance up the skills continuum. We are currently working out in the community to deliver a Good Paying Careers curriculum to community-based organizations and their clients, as well as developing a standard Educational Plan for use by area CBOs. For more on this work, see our Knowledge Sharing page.

Improving ACCESS to Education & Training for Low-Income Residents
SJI is working to help low-income residents transition to postsecondary education by building the capacity of the workforce system to help these individuals navigate the community colleges as well as building the on-ramp and bridge programs which serve as pre-steps to credit-bearing college programs. This is a primary focus of SJI and our work in this area is extensive. It includes:

• Peer Learning Group: SJI is facilitating a group of community college and community-based training providers that is working hard to build a system of on-ramps and bridges to community college for low-income residents.

• Entry-Point Networking: SJI hosts regular meetings of a broad range of agencies serving low-income residents to provide the rare opportunity to them to network and increase their knowledge of the workforce development system.

• Navigation Best Practices and Tool Development: SJI is leading efforts to learn and share best practices for helping low-income residents navigate the community college system and to develop tools to help CBOs, colleges and their low-income clients/students to do the same.

• Pilot Development: SJI works in partnership with other agencies such as Seattle Housing Authority and Seattle Goodwill Industries on innovative efforts to connect their clients to postsecondary educational opportunities.

Improving Postsecondary ATTAINMENT Rates Among Low-Income Students
SJI’s work in this area is currently focused on supporting the efforts of SkillUp Washington, a collaborative of local public and private funders that has made initial investments in a College for Working Adults (a multi-college effort to establish flexible, compressed sector-based training programs for working adults). SJI has undertaken the work of designing and managing for SkillUp a support services fund for College for Working Adults students (Attainment Fund).

In addition, SJI may research and develop effective strategies for increasing the postsecondary attainment rates of low-income students, chiefly working adults.

Recent publications related to this topic include:

Charting a Path National Report (June 2009)

• Charting a Path: An Exploration of the Statewide Career Pathway Efforts in Arkansas, Kentucky, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin

Postsecondary Attainment Data Survey (August 2009)

• A Survey of U.S. and Washington State Postsecondary Attainment Data

Ensuring Education & Training Pathways are Aligned with Labor Market OPPORTUNITIES

SJI conducts labor market research to determine those sectors that hold the greatest promise for providing living wage jobs for individuals with education and training beyond high school up to a one- or two-year postsecondary credential. We seek to inform the workforce system and the low-income residents it serves about the sectors and postsecondary programs that offer the best potential for positive employment/wage outcomes. And we seek to inform local economic/workforce development efforts with an eye to expanding opportunities for our target population. Work in this area includes:

• Job Trends Reports: SJI publishes reports that highlight changes in the local labor market and provide and in-depth look at the jobs, employers and training programs within local industry sectors that are promising for low-income/low-skill jobseekers and workers. Browse our Job Trends Reports here.

• Middle Wage Jobs Research: SJI conducts research on key sectors in the Puget Sound region that provide middle wage jobs - jobs that pay a living wage and require some education and training beyond high school but not a 4-year degree. These sectors provide good opportunities for low-income/low-skill residents to advance up the career ladder with additional training. To read more, click here.

• Green Jobs: SJI conducts research on/planning within the growing green sectors of the economy, with a particular emphasis on jobs and training in the local energy efficiency sector, which may provide opportunities for low-income/low-skill residents to advance up career ladders. To read more, click here.

Increasing/Aligning FUNDING and Engaging in POLICY Efforts in Support of Our Objectives

SJI works to increase and disseminate knowledge of major funding sources for local workforce development, including for postsecondary education, and to determine how these might be better aligned toward the goal of creating educatin and training pathways leading to at least a one-year postsecondary credential for low-income residents. Further, SJI works independently and in partnership with others to define and support policies that further our objectives. Work in this area includes:

• Policy Updates: SJI provides regular updates and briefs on national, state and local policy developments related to employment, education/training and support services for low-income residents.

• Policy Brown Bag Series: SJI hosts regular meetings for workforce development/policy professionals to discuss timely topics related to workforce development.

• Basic Food Employment & Training: SJI has been and will continue to be a leader in efforts to develop, improve, expand and document Washington State's first-of-its-kind Basic Food Employment & Training program (BFET, also known as FSET), which has provided significant new dollars into our state for employment, training and support services for individuals on Basic Food (food stamps).