In determining the public policies that can best strengthen, facilitate, and expand this positive work, we need to understand the diverse kinds of mentoring initiatives in existence today. First, programs differ in their relationship to the government. On the other hand, there are mentoring initiatives that have been mutually crafted by private groups faith-based nonprofits or churches and public entities, such as the county welfare agency. Second, there are diversities according to the nature of what the mentoring program is attempting to achieve. And so the focus, to repeat, is on imparting job skills and securing a job.
Profit is the one that does the match-making.
A client has already come through the front door of a helping institution, and with its assistance has secured a job and been ushered out the back door, while the institution focuses on the needs of the next unemployed person who s just walked in the front door. This typically involves budget counseling and helping the individual enhance their skills so as to be able to move on to better-paying employment. There are diversities according to how mentoring initiatives are structured. It might be that the welfare recipient is enrolled in a job training program or a GED course or a life skills class. The point is that they are regularly participating in some sort of formalized instruction that makes demands on them, that holds them accountable for coming to class or whatever.