Step 1: Grounding and Alignment

Goals, Shared Outcomes & Campus Preparation

Institutions will develop a shared plan to redesign student employment so it builds skills, supports learning, and improves long-term outcomes.

Shared Outcomes:

• Increased career readiness of working learners
• Enriched relationships between working learners and supervisors
• Improved confidence of working learners in their ability to articulate transferable skills and connect them to post-completion opportunities

Campus Preparation

A successful design sprint begins well before the first convening. Institutions must identify a Core Team, assemble a cross-campus Discovery Team, and ensure that all logistical elements are in place to support a smooth, high-impact experience.

Core Team (2–3 members)

Responsible for:

• Leadership
• Logistics
• Communications
• Facilitation Support
• Ensuring Post-Sprint Momentum

Discovery Team (15–20 members) 

Should include:

• HR representatives
• Financial Aid staff
• Career Services
• Student Employment staff
• Faculty who supervise student workers
• Supervisors from large employing units (dining, housing, recreation, library)

Logistics

Prepare:

• A large room with ample wall space
• Post-its, markers, chart paper, tape
• Printed templates (empathy maps, HMW sheets, prototype outlines)
• Listening session invitations for 4–6 students and 4–6 supervisors

Resources: 
Design Sprint Slide Deck
Design Sprint Facilitator Guide
Core Team Member List
Discovery Team Member List