ADVANCE YOUR CAREER GOALS WITH
DIGITAL EMPOWERMENT
Are you looking for a competitive advantage in your job search?
Digital Bridge skills training can give you the knowledge and skills growth needed to improve productivity and boost your personal goals with confidence.
3 reasons to sign up for Digital Bridge:
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
SJI’s Partnerships & Community Pathways team provides career navigation and support services to adults in King, Snohomish, and Pierce Counties. Since 2020, Digital Bridge has been a key component of our programmatic initiatives. This service started with the goal of providing free laptops, hotspots, and internet to participants in need.
In 2024, we are expanding Digital Bridge to provide greater access to vital skills training with a brand new four-step process:
Digital Bridge Impact Since July 2020:
Digital devices gifted
(laptops, tablets, and/or hotspots)
People received digital literacy training and tech support
Community partnerships created
SUCCESS STORY
Seema
The youngest daughter in the family, Seema is solely responsible for supporting her family of seven because her father speaks very little English and has not been able to find a job. Through SJI’s partnership with International Rescue Committee, she was referred to us for intensive career navigation support and was given a laptop and basic digital skills training. This empowered Seema to begin her job search and in April 2022, she found employment at Kate Quinn Organics as a Warehouse Associate. She is currently working at Motif Seattle as a Front Desk Receptionist.
Seema’s long-term goal is to attend college and earn a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
HISTORY
Digital Bridge was initially developed as a pilot project in response to the coronavirus recession, which triggered job losses, particularly impacting people of color, younger workers, refugees and immigrants, and the housing insecure. It was launched in July 2020 by the City of Seattle Office of Economic Development (OED) in partnership with Comcast, Seattle Jobs Initiative, Seattle Information Technology Department (Seattle IT), Technology and Social Change Group (TASCHA) at the University of Washington Information School, and InterConnection.
Through this pilot, SJI participants in various workforce development programs were equipped with computers and internet connections to complete their training programs that are now offered remotely due to COVID-19, and apply for job opportunities.
Read more about the pilot program launch here.
RESEARCH
Through extensive quantitative and qualitative program analysis, our Policy Research team learned:
- Digital access alone is not enough.
- Program enrollment must consider the participants’ needs and barriers.
- Training coupled with case management resulted in additional benefits: accessing other services, job and housing searches, finding legal and consumer information, and communicating with friends, families, and potential employers online.
- Structured training with an instructor is needed to introduce them to gateway skills and ensure that they are clearing key gateway points.
- Participants need reliable, in-language support for their technical needs.
The findings from this analysis were published in 2021. You can read the full report here.
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