Not many companies devote an average of 15 percent of net profits to community programs, but Minnesota Wire & Cable Co.'s "hold yourself accountable" maximim requires that it does just that.

The St. Paul manufacturing company currently gives back through a dozen programs, and some of the partnerships have been established for more than 25 years. One of its newest endeavors, however, shows the company's desire to go the extra step rather than keep the status quo.

Its 3-year-old Teachers in the Workplace program brings in area teachers to open their eyes to the job opportunities that await their students. Too many students lack the skills or the correct information about what the job market offers, says MWCC's accounting coordinator Katie Roach, who also organized the program.

"Manufacturing is a misleading word," she said. "People think you work in dirt or something. There are a lot of different well-paying jobs from accounting to engineering. Students can get jobs and they don't need a huge education. They just need to know what they have to do to get there."

The Teachers in the Workplace program grew from MWCC's participation in the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce's school-to-work initiative, which brings students to businesses for job shadowing.

MWCC Executive Vice President Joan Thompson said the company loves the 200 students that annually shadow its employees, but saw an opportunity for a greater impact through their teachers.

"(Teachers) can get to more kids than we can," she said. "We get to about 200, but they can reach thousands."

Ten teachers arrived Oct. 19 and received one-on-one tours of MWCC's facility, located across from Midway Stadium. Each teamed up with an employee for hands-on experience in several different areas: engineering, extrusion, sales, accounting and assembly. They learned how wire is formed and how the plastic casing around the wire needs cold water immediately applied to it to maintain a smooth appearance, among other things.

Despite the slant toward teachers, Thompson said the number of students rolling through their doors will never decrease. "If we hadn't delt with the students," she said. "We would have never delt with the teachers."

Jean Martens, the St. Paul Chamber of commerce director of communications, said the chamber has made job education across all levels a high priority because recruting and maintaining work force is the No. 1 concern of its members.

"There's more to being an employee today than walking in the front door," she said. "Kids need to know what they can do to get a leg up -- the broader their skill base the more desirable they'll be to the business community."

Martens said the reponse from teachers and students has been overwhelmingly positive.

One teacher Thompson met through MWCC's involvement was Oakview Middle School German teacher Jen Koch. The 24-year-old University of St. Thomas graduate participated in the Teachers in the Workplace program and stayed on at MWCC as a part-time employee.

"This is such a great chance for teachers," Koch said. "Now I know who could be a good mentor for certain students. Kids would much rather hear it straight from somebody working in the field than a regular teacher."

MWCC's educational focus stems from its 72-year-old founder Fred Wagner, who never graduated from high school but earned his GED years later. Wagner's unorthodox education path led him to offer incentives for his employees to better themselves through school as well. Any employee that goes back to get a GED receives a $1,000 bonus. For those who want to go a step beyond high school, MWCC pays $80,000 annually for its employees to take college-level courses relevant to their jobs.

"Sure we lose a few thousand dollars every once in a while," Wagner said. "But the value to the company and the employees far outweighs any of that."

Wagner also leads by example. At 59, he went back to school and received a master's degree from St. Thomas University.

He said his company reflects the core attitude of his family, which is carried on by his daughter Joan Thompson and son Paul Wagner, MWCC president. Forty of the company's 152 employees participate in volunteer programs, and several are involved in more than one.

MWCC also participates in Amicus, an organization that works to identify job opportunities for prison inmates, which has resulted in more than 20 such employees at the company through the years. Wagner said not one negative incident involving any of those employees has occurred.

The diverse, $13.1 million company, which was founded in 1968, now has 16 different languages floating within its walls and is a leader in placing women in non-traditional jobs. Forty percent of MWCC's employees are minorities.

Wagner said his company may seem to overextend itself in community programs, but it's exactly the opposite.

"If I decide to do something, I dedicate myself and the company is the same way," he said. "Nothing we do is superficial."