MentorABILITY

A Wyoming BLN Model of Revenue Generation for your Consideration

Presented by:

Lynn Trew Kirkbride WBLN VP Business Development

MentorABILITY:

A New Revenue Stream for your BLN?

The Need for a Diverse Portfolio in times of shrinking funding…

This is our time to dig in and get creative!

The WBLN Employer Challenge:

“GROW THE TALENT”

An innovative program assisting youth with disabilities through your local school district

Youth ages 14 -21 transitioning from High school to the World of Work

Utilizing employer mentors from your BLN to prepare students for employment “growing the talent”

What is Wyoming’s MentorABILITY?

BLN’s need new sources of revenue

Engages your BLN businesses in meaningful activities

Can pump new life into your BLN

A non-threatening way to involve new businesses that are skeptical

The Business Case for MA

Employers have access to potential job candidates

Employer Mentors: Businesses like investing in youth! BIG Return on Investment! New value of the BLN

VR partners love it: an overlooked population

Best disability awareness exercise ever!

The Business Case for MA (cont.)

All contracts are individually negotiated with each school since funds are locally controlled

Modest contracts of $10,000- $28,000 add up

Each contract is customized to the transition needs of that school

Fee for Service Contracts

Services are NOT negotiated by the numbers of students served (of which the BLN has no control)

What distinguishes our services from providers is our EMPLOYER NETWORK

Fee for Service Contracts (cont.)

Transition services are limited and inconsistent from district to district- MA can fill in the gap

MA can be a “coordinated set of activities” for districts to write into their IEP’s

Great concern among districts over federal IDEA indictors 13 and 14- MA helps with these post secondary outcomes

The school picks what they need from a menu of services- augments their services

Selling it to a School District:A Public Partnership

National data states that the number #1 predictor of vocational success is a work experience prior to graduation from high school

Your staff is paid and supervised by you not the school

Gets students hooked into adult VR services prior to graduation

VR likes it because students often have chosen an industry sector to focus their career

Selling it to Schools (cont.)

Access to an existing network of employers (BLN)

BLN Employer mentors can offer employability skills from the real world of business

Helps students build an employer network- which leads to jobs!

Selling it to Schools (cont.)

World of Work Class Examples:Dress for SuccessJob Retention StrategiesPersonalities and CareersMock InterviewsCareers in the 21st CenturyPersonal FinancesEmpowerment and DisclosureNetworking

MentorABILITY Services are customized to the needs of that district

Job Site Tours

Career Resource EXPO participation

Summer employment placement

Career Planning

MentorABILITY Services (cont.)

One on One Mentoring

Mentoring Day Luncheon/Awards Events

Graduation Day/Portfolios

Leadership Development: Student Advisory Council

“Why change only one life when you can change two?”

MentorABILITY Services (cont.)

Meet David:

Meet Aaron:

Meet Alex:

Increased pressure on districts to have students meet academic criteria before outside involvement

Longer testing of PAWS (Jan. and March) so less time for involvement

Concern over students leaving school grounds (transportation)

Getting districts to take a chance on something new in a time of shortfall

Letting you into their system (ivory tower syndrome)

Challenges:

The Wyoming Business Leadership Network

yourbln.com

Lynn Trew Kirkbridelynnkirkbride@gmail.com

(307) 631-0894

Wanda Rogerswrogers@vcn.com

(307)783-6302

Contact:

Thanks for Coming!!!!