Southeast Minnesota Private Industry Council, based in Rochester, operates the mentorship program, which has involved more than 250 organizations and 675 employees in its workshops since August 1998. This year coordinators anticipate 25 new employer mentor programs will serve about 125 MFIP participants. MFIP is the state's main welfare reform program, helping participants work their way out of poverty. The program helps employers provide mentors with the skills they need to help newer and less experienced employees succeed, according to Janine Till, mentor program development coordinator with the Private Industry Council. Employers match new employees with mentors to help them overcome the fear often associated with starting a new job, orient them to the workplace and introduce them to co-workers.
Mentors maintain regular contact throughout the first months of employment.
Employers report a host of benefits gained from the mentorship program, including better job performance, higher job retention and reduced absenteeism from their new workers. Deputy Human Services Commissioner Tom Moss lauded the mentorship program for its replicability in other rural areas. The Rural Welfare Reform Strategies Project provided an opportunity for us to find out significantly more than we knew about what communities, organizations and individuals are doing to help families reach their highest potential. The mentorship program currently is using funding from the McKnight Foundation but will rely on fees for service from employers for long-term funding.