Midhurst/December 18, 2023 – The County of Simcoe Economic Development Office is partnering with the Town of Innisfil to expand the very successful Growing Together Mentorship Program to various industry sectors within Simcoe County. This mentorship program (that will now be expanded to local businesses within various industry sectors) promotes teamwork, encourages partnerships, and is accessible to all employees regardless of their employment status, position, department, or organization.
“Working together with the Town of Innisfil, the County is pleased that we are able to keep expanding the Growing Together mentorship program,” said Warden Basil Clarke. “Building up our skilled workforce across the region remains a priority to our Economic Development Office and to County Council. These mentorships further help businesses across our region remain competitive through shared knowledge, training, and skills gained through this program.”
The Growing Together Mentorship Program brings mentors and mentees together from across a variety of occupations and sectors. It gives both mentors and mentees the chance to learn and grow from others who work in both the private and public sector. The program allows mentoring relationships to form based on the goal of supporting the mentee with a specialized skill or development area.
“We truly value our partnership with the County of Simcoe and this expanded mentorship program will assist the Town in attracting, and retaining businesses essential to our growth,” says Mayor Lynn Dollin. “We have a heavy emphasis on economic development and growth and this partnership will assist in helping us reach our goals.”
The sectors that are included in the Growing Together Mentorship Program include:
- Agriculture/Agrifood
- Aerospace
- Construction
- Entrepreneurship
- Healthcare
- Manufacturing
- Tourism
- Professional/Scientific/Technical Skills
There are three different types of mentorship structures offered:
- One-on-One Mentoring – traditional model of mentoring, where one mentor (leader) and one mentee (employee) agree to enter into a mentoring relationship to help the mentee develop, improve, and achieve their goals. In this type of mentoring, the mentor has more experience in an area that the mentee is interested in, and so can act as an advisor and guide
- Peer Mentoring – involves colleagues with similar experience levels mentoring each other. They may take turns acting as ‘mentor’ and ‘mentee’, but overall, peer mentoring is about creating a formal support system, learning together, and holding one another accountable
- Reverse Mentoring – a more junior person mentors a more senior person
Growing Together is hosted on MentorCity, an online platform that is specifically designed to facilitate meaningful mentorship relationships. This program will expand participants’ possibilities and help them take their careers to the next level. If you are in one of the sectors identified above in Simcoe County, you have the opportunity to establish game-changing mentoring relationships through our online mentoring platform. To sign up as a mentor, a mentee or both, register <<< Add Link to {Page Name}>>> and start building a profile and searching for a suitable mentor and/or mentee today (including your sector within “Company” upon registration and building your profile).
About the County of Simcoe
County of Simcoe is composed of sixteen member municipalities and provides crucial public services to County residents in addition to providing paramedic and social services to the separated cities of Barrie and Orillia. Visit our website at simcoe.ca.
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CONTACTS
Andrea Walasek
Public Relations Consultant
County of Simcoe, Service Simcoe Department
249-535-3511 (mobile)
Andrea.Walasek@simcoe.ca
Collin Matanowitsch
Manager, Public Relations
County of Simcoe, Service Simcoe Department
705-734-8386 (mobile)
Collin.Matanowitsch@simcoe.ca