Orion’s mentors are the backbone of our training program. When a participant enters our paid training program, they receive hands-on experience while working one-on-one with a mentor. During the course of the training program mentors teach both technical skills and soft skills and help each individual gain confidence and build self-esteem.
Jonathan Dotson is one of a select group of mentors who have a noteworthy perspective on Orion’s training program, having once been a program participant himself. Jonathan has always enjoyed working with his hands. His background includes small engine repair, as well as time spent as a welder and auto mechanic. After breaking his back in an accident, Jonathan joined Orion’s Manufacturing Training Program. Jonathan was attracted to the program because Orion demonstrated that we were receptive to working with someone in a wheelchair. Jonathan said, “I needed a chance to prove that I have the ability to work, and that I can get the job done. Orion gave me that.”
As fortune would have it, a position on Orion’s swing shift became available after Jonathan completed his training. Jonathan applied for the position and was hired. He has since received mentor training and now works with participants in the program. “The people coming into the training program want to work,” Jonathan related. “Many participants come into the program after having not worked for a while. There is a lot of anxiety for them as they want to prove themselves doing something most of them have never done before. I had a client last year who had never worked in a shop and didn’t know if she could. I worked with her to familiarize her with the tools and help her get over her fear. When she drilled her first part and squeezed her first rivet on it, she just lit up!”
I had a client last year who had never worked in a shop and didn’t know if she could. I worked with her to familiarize her with the tools and help her get over her fear. When she drilled her first part and squeezed her first rivet on it, she just lit up!
– Jonathan Dotson / Orion Mentor
Mentors act as a resource for each other and share ideas on how to best help each individual learn. Orion also supports mentors with dedicated staff, including vocational counselors, instructors, job developers and employment consultants. “I have it in me to teach people,” Jonathan explained. “I find that a lot of us don’t know that we are natural teachers until we get called to do it. If you just show someone what you are doing, the way you do it, teaching comes naturally. If you get stuck there is always someone you can turn to.”
“I’m most proud of the fact that I get the chance to help people achieve their goal and reach for their dream,” Jonathan expressed. “Watching a participant build a sense of pride, seeing them get hired into a job, and witnessing the emotion of that moment when they realize that they did it, is the best reward of the whole program.”
Orion helps people in our community who have been marginalized by chronic unemployment or underemployment. Orion’s mentors make that possible. “Orion is the best company to work for because of the program and the opportunities that they give to people,” Jonathan stated. “Orion gives everybody a chance, regardless of where they are coming from or who they are.”
