Seattle Jobs Initiative

Seattle Jobs Initiative creates opportunities for people to support themselves and their families through living-wage careers. Since 1997, Seattle Jobs Initiative (SJI) has helped more than 16,000 people support themselves and their families through access to support systems and employment, and has placed more than 7,000 in living wage careers. SJI has almost 20 years of experience working with under and unemployed adults, averaging 37 years old. We have developed expertise assisting clients overcome multiple barriers to employment, including limited training and soft skills.

Seattle Jobs Initiative offers low-income individuals training that leads to college credentials in growing local industry sectors. We creatively align support services ? intensive college navigation, housing, childcare and transportation ? to provide participants the best opportunity to complete their career pathways and to secure and retain well-paying jobs. Our objective is to help individuals who live below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level to acquire the skills they need to advance out of poverty, while simultaneously meeting the needs of local employers for a skilled workforce. This strengthens our community because with higher wages, more people are able to meet their needs and the needs of their families and contribute to the local community and because our economy prospers from having more skilled employees who help local companies succeed. Our work addresses the fact that while Seattle ranks 6th among the nation?s metropolitan areas in terms of median income, nearly 14% of our residents live below 200% of the federal poverty level. In fact, in the last few years, the poverty level has risen, along with income inequality. What makes SJI unique is that we are more than a workforce development service organization; we are also a research, innovation, and policy shop. We utilize a cycle of innovation through which program experience and data informs innovation, research, and system change, which in turn informs the continuous improvement of program offerings. We outreach at faith based organizations, community centers, prisons, and service centers for the homeless ? places where we connect to those hardest to serve. More than 70% of our clients identify as people of color? approximately 25% are immigrants or refugees? 41% are homeless or in transitional housing; and clients are evenly divided among men and women. We serve ages 18 and up, with our typical client averaging 35 years old and serving as head of household. Importantly, any low-income individual can participate in our program, as opposed to meeting minimum standards that are required in many other workforce programs. Thus, our work fills a unique role in meeting the needs of individuals and our communities.