Joanne Leck and Barbara Orser Receive $120,000 from SSHRC

The Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) has awarded $120,000 to Dr. Joanne Leck, Principal Investigator, and Dr. Barbara Orser for their research project Wanted: Mentors.

The competition for knowledge workers and the shortage of leadership talent is putting pressure on Canadian organizations to invest in the training and professional development of their staff. As a consequence, many organizations have turned to mentoring programs to develop and retain skilled workers as well as to facilitate knowledge sharing among employees. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of mentors in Canada. There is even a greater shortage of mentors who are women or members of visible minorities. The ultimate objective of this research is to help increase the number of qualified mentors so that Canadian organizations can develop highly skilled workforces. The research seeks to advance our understanding of why mentors take on this role, and provide organizations with mechanisms to encourage key players to mentor others.