July 14, 2020 (INDIANAPOLIS) — The Indiana Chamber of Commerce is offering a new service to help Hoosier employers skill up their workforce and keep employees further engaged as remote work continues for many.
The organization is partnering with Indiana-based Engage Mentoring to connect employees with mentors to help them grow their skills on a variety of topics. The model uses a proprietary software system to assist employees in career development by forging relationships with qualified mentors throughout the business community as well as acquiring the necessary skillset to become good mentors themselves.
“We believe this company-to-company mentoring program can be an important resource for our members to address the continual call to better attract, retain and develop their talent,” says Jason Bearce, Indiana Chamber vice president of education and workforce development.
“Beyond that critical mission, employers are now, more than ever, looking for meaningful ways for employee engagement and inclusion. This program can be a powerful strategy to achieve that within their workforce.”
This effort is part of the Indiana Chamber’s Institute for Workforce Excellence resource center.
Through the partnership, the Indiana Chamber is able to offer the Engage Mentoring model to its member businesses at a discounted rate. The actual cost is based on the number of employees.
Don Cates, CEO of 3Rivers Federal Credit Union in Fort Wayne, has already utilized the program.
“What I enjoy most is the opportunity it provides our team to mentor and be mentored by a broad and diverse group beyond your organization. It expands our experience, knowledge and influence that supports our culture and brand. Personally, I enjoy mentoring because of what I continue to learn in the process, and what I remember I should be doing in leading my leadership team.”
Today’s announcement follows the Indiana Chamber’s June release of the Indiana Vision 2025: 2020 Snapshot, which showed Indiana still ranks 38th among the 50 states for post-secondary credential attainment. This mentoring program marks another effort to improve that ranking.
A free webinar is scheduled for Thursday from 10-11 a.m. EDT where employers can learn more about the program and the latest on the Indiana Vision 2025 plan for the state.
The Indiana Chamber is the first statewide business group to join forces with Engage Mentoring. An early version of the model has been utilized by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education in conjunction with its 21st Century Scholars program.
For Engage Mentoring, the new partnership accelerates the goal of building the largest and most effective company-to-company mentoring program in the country; a statewide steering committee also was formed in support of that effort.
“With our plug-and-play software, Engage Mentoring simplifies the mentoring process for participants and gives them convenient ways to connect and grow personally and professionally,” explains Alison Martin, founder and CEO of Engage Mentoring. “We are excited to team with the Indiana Chamber to bring the benefits of professional mentoring to more companies and individuals.”
Additional details on the Engage Mentoring workplace model are available at www.indianachamber.com/workforce and https://engagementoring.com/programs.