Worksite Program

The Worksite Program is voluntary, and designed to give youth 16-21 years old the opportunity to realize their potential by assisting them in obtaining employment and staying in school. The youth must reside in Greene County, have no serious violent offenses within the past year, and be willing to actively seek employment.

The goal of the Worksite Program is to provide taxpayers to the community while increasing job readiness skills, providing mentored work experience, and promoting education.

Worksite Program Referral form

To aid them in their success, it is ideal that these youth are paired with a mentor. The mentor can be a manager or an older fellow employee that sits down with the youth once a week for 30 minutes to provide them with added workplace support. A mentor is someone the youth can rely on to make them feel comfortable while on the job, give them advice, or just be there to answer any questions they may have.

Before being matched to a job opportunity of their interest, the Missouri Mentoring Program requires that the youth attend job readiness classes. These classes prepare the youth for the interview process, filling out applications and most importantly, how to be a good employee.

The process of improving our community begins with businesses who are dedicated to creating an opportunity for youth to develop and gain experience in the workplace. Youth with a worksite mentor are more likely to obtain their high school diploma, less likely to start using drugs and alcohol, and more likely to become self-sufficient productive citizens.

Being Involved With MMP and Having a Mentor Will Help Youth:

• Discover career interests
• Obtain skills to gain and maintain a job through Job Readiness classes
• Access transportation and clothing as it relates to employment
• Gain work experience with the assistance of a mentor
• Gain a friendship with a positive adult mentor
• Learn how to successfully maintain a job
• Set goals and remain focused on them
• Complete his/her education and strive toward reaching future educational goals
• Address problems they are having at home, school and/or work
• Connect with appropriate community resources

Testimonial:

A young man started working at an Oil and Lube Shop in March of 2004. The location manager promptly volunteered to be his mentor, and the two met regularly for two years. The mentee describes joining MMP as "a great thing that has happened to me." He says he gets along with his mentor really well, and that he is glad they were matched. The mentor explains that he wanted to become one of our mentors because the program "sounded like a good idea," and he wanted to be a part of it. "He first learned of the program when the MMP Resource Coordinator spoke to the managers of the Oil and Lube Shop. The mentor explains he and the young man talk each week about work, him wanting to move up and learn new things, and how things are going with his personal life." Our mentor describes his mentee as having changed a lot since coming to work for him. "He is a lot more responsible now, looks at things from the customers' point of view more, and is more professional." says the mentor. The youth started as a courtesy tech, and has recently been promoted to a senior lower bay tech. He also was employee of the month, which earned him a paid vacation day, free lunch, and a ten cent raise.