Real World Ready
“They did their homework, understood our community, and built an intervention that gave us a new language for working with students.”
S
Sai Rahul
CEO · FOSS United
We design learning experiences that transform people.
The Second Design is an Education Design Studio. We work with businesses, colleges, and nonprofits to turn their expertise into practical, real-world learning experiences.
What we do: We help organisations design powerful learning environments - for employees, students, and communities. You bring the domain expertise. We bring the pedagogy, structure, and learner experience.
Trusted by professionals from
Who we design for
Designing real-world learning environments
From rapid diagnostics to full curriculum builds, we help translate expertise into programs that create measurable change.
Businesses
Customer education, internal academies, onboarding journeys, and capability-building tracks for teams.
NGOs & Foundations
Programs for youth, fellows, volunteers, and communities where pedagogy and impact both matter.
Colleges & Campus Programs
Finishing-school style programs like Real World Ready that run alongside degrees and build real-world skills.
Open communities
Adaptations for developer and open-source communities, aligned with real events, hackathons, and initiatives.
Program reviews & audits
Deep dives into existing programs with recommendations to improve engagement, outcomes, and learner experience.
Pilots & experiments
Short, well-designed pilots to quickly test ideas before committing to full multi-module builds.
What our partners and learners say
Four short clips from people who’ve worked closely with us across programs and consulting.
Design Your First Cohort Based Course
“You give us a clear lens to think through our own material, so the macro design is feelable in the micro exercises.”
R
Rik van den Berge
Certified Coach
Consulting
“They helped us improve our learning outcomes and focus our classes on what students really want.”
M
Matias Kahl
Co-founder · Edison
Consulting
“The work together helped our experts build a better course and helped Edison refine how we design courses as a company.”
A
Alejandro Mashad
Founder · Edison
Consulting
Go from “we should teach this” to a program that actually works
Designing learning environments, not just content
Most programs fail not because the content is bad, but because the environment isn’t designed for learning. We fix that.
Clarity on learners & outcomes
We start with your learners’ reality, constraints, and goals — not a pre-baked curriculum template.
Structure that scales
We design sessions, activities, and facilitator guides so your team can run the program repeatedly.
Evidence from real cohorts
Programs are tested with real participants, iterated based on feedback, and made better with every run.
How working with us typically feels
Step 1: Intro & fit check
We understand your learners, constraints, and goals — and check if we’re the right people for your problem.
Step 2: Diagnostic sprint
A short diagnostic phase to clarify the problem, learner profile, and success metrics.
Step 3: Design & pilot
We design the program, run a pilot, and refine the experience using real feedback.
Step 4: Handover & scaling
We hand over guides and structures so your team can run it repeatedly.
Design ingredients
What we obsess over in every program
The moving pieces we tune so your learners don’t just attend, but actually change.
Clarity of outcomes
If learners don’t know what changes for them, nothing else matters.
Learning environment
Safety, pacing, activities — not just slides.
Activities & practice
Doing beats listening. Always.
Facilitator experience
Guides so facilitators can run confidently.
Feedback loops
We fold feedback into each new run.
Repeatability
Programs you can run again and again.
Flagship program
Real World Ready
Real World Ready is our flagship program for students and young professionals. It gives them structured practice in starting things, working with others, and making decisions about their future with intention. The core promise is the same: move young people from passive consumption to doing real work in the real world.
Students who actually start things
Learners leave with projects, outreach, and visible proof of work — not just notes from a lecture.
Clarity in a messy world
A way of thinking about careers, skills, and choices that helps young people make real moves instead of drifting.
Co-designed with partners
Built with organisations like TinkerHub and FOSS United so it speaks to real students, not a generic audience.
Formats that fit your context
Multi-session series, finishing school tracks, or event-based bootcamps tailored to your calendar and constraints.
From our notebook
View all posts »Occasional writing on instructional design, pedagogy and what we’re trying inside programs like Real World Ready.
Beyond the Blueprint : A New Way for Students to Learn, Think, and Transform
The Second Design and TinkerHub partnered to build a new kind of learning experience for college students in Kerala - one that teaches agency, confidence, and the mindset to shape their own future.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
A few things people usually ask before working with us.
What kind of organisations do you work with?
Colleges, NGOs, foundations, startups, and companies — anyone serious about real learning.
Can you run Real World Ready?
Yes. We co-design formats, adapt to your calendar, and run with your learners as partners.
Do you do one-off workshops?
Sometimes — but only when they fit into a larger transformation.
Where are you based?
India. We work with distributed teams internationally.
What does an engagement cost?
Depends on depth: diagnostics < full builds < multi-cohort programs.
How do we start?
Send us a short note about your learners and goals. We’ll reply quickly.
1,500+
Learners reached
100+
Sessions Conducted
15+
Years in education
Have a learning problem that needs a serious partner?
Bring us your learners, constraints, and goals. We’ll help you figure out whether a new program, an iteration, or a focused pilot makes the most sense.