Hub Highlight – MentorAbility Québec
MentorAbility Canada Hub Highlight Series
Every month, MentorAbility Canada proudly presents one of our implementing partners. They are the MentorAbility coordinators—the backstage workers who quietly go about their tasks to ensure that job seekers, employers, and service providers can shine in the spotlight.
For the French version of this post, please click here.
Pour la version française de cet article, veuillez cliquer ici.
MentorAbility Québec:
Weaving Connections for an Inclusive Future
Leveraging facilitated short-term mentorships, MentorAbility Québec creates meaningful professional connections and learning opportunities between employers and persons experiencing disability.
The initiative opens new pathways to employment for job seekers, while nurturing mutual understanding and workplace inclusion across Québec.
The Regroupement des organismes spécialisés pour l’emploi des personnes handicapées (ROSEPH) brings together 25 specialized services in locations across the province that have been supporting job seekers experiencing disability and employers for over two decades.
MentorAbility Québec benefits from the strong foundation and expertise of ROSEPH’s vast network of community organizations, employment specialists, and dedicated partners.
Together, these members amplify the capacity of their network to foster meaningful connections and to meet the diverse needs of businesses and job seekers.
Laurence Marin, Executive Director for ROSEPH, underscores the transformative impact of these partnerships:
“Opening up to other provinces, discovering our peers’ practices across Canada, developing communication skills in a national context, and most importantly, offering new ways to create connections between employers and persons with disabilities who simply want to showcase their skills.”
A Mentoring Approach that Transforms Perspectives and Opens Doors
MentorAbility’s approach is based on two essential components: deepening employer understanding of workplace inclusion and creating career exploration opportunities for mentees. Through this dynamic exchange, meaningful connections can form, bringing new professional perspectives for both mentors and mentees.
Adeline Zilliox, MentorAbility Coordinator at ROSEPH, emphasizes the impact of these initiatives:
“In 2025, it’s essential to facilitate meaningful connections that open doors to inclusion. Supporting our community means enabling everyone to contribute to society. By embracing diverse talents, employers become agents of change, innovation, and solidarity in their community.”
Through mentorships, many employers discover the richness of an inclusive approach. Some adapt their workplace practices and others become program ambassadors, confident that diversity drives growth and innovation. The MentorAbility Québec team places great importance on the role of mentors. Their openness, engaging energy, and willingness to share their expertise are essential ingredients for successful mentorships.
Each MentorAbility experience becomes a unique opportunity for mutual learning and broadening horizons, both for the mentee and the mentor.
Reciprocal Learning
Employers discover a hidden talent pool, while mentees gain confidence and clarify their professional goals. Through the mentorship experience, mentees build their career paths. Some will decide to pursue training and others will access internships or get their first job.
The MentorAbility Québec team views mentorship as a collective effort that thrives on collaboration. Employers, mentors, employment service providers, and community organizations all play a role in creating meaningful professional experiences that benefit both mentees and the workplaces that welcome them.
For employers and mentors, these interactions are more than just an opportunity to support someone’s career exploration—they provide a fresh perspective on workforce diversity and inclusion. Engaging with mentees helps employers better understand untapped talent pools, refine their recruitment and retention strategies, and foster a more inclusive work environment.
Mentors, in turn, develop leadership and coaching skills, strengthen their ability to work with diverse teams, and gain insights that enhance their own professional growth. For mentees, these guided experiences build confidence and clarify career goals, opening doors to further training, internships, or direct employment.
Particularly in regions facing labour shortages, these connections create innovative solutions for workforce development.
As these mentorships multiply across Québec, they create ripple effects—changing workplace cultures, expanding networks, and reinforcing the value of inclusion in the labour market.
Through activities in both urban and rural settings, the MentorAbility Québec team sees firsthand how these professional connections reveal lasting potential. The program allows participants to explore and identify a viable career path. Discovering a workplace and engaging with professionals are often the first steps toward a promising career path.
A Vision for Future Growth and Innovation
Growth and innovation are part of the long-term vision in which inclusion becomes the norm rather than the exception. MentorAbility Québec’s efforts extend beyond mentee-employer connections. The program is expanding regionally, aiming to strengthen ties with Indigenous communities and local businesses. These partnerships help adapt mentorship experiences to Québec’s labour market realities and offer opportunities tailored to different sectors.
MentorAbility Québec’s future is rooted in organic growth and diversification. The team explores new approaches, such as developing mentorships in seasonal industries connected to local markets, collaborating with public figures to increase program visibility, and creating bilingual content to enhance program accessibility across French- and English-speaking communities.
With a clear vision and a tightly knit community, MentorAbility Québec continues to transform workplace inclusion practices. Through ROSEPH's expertise, the commitment of its members and partners, and the motivation of mentees, the initiative stands as a catalyst for disability inclusion in Québec's professional landscape.
To weave your own story with MentorAbility Québec, visit ROSEPH’s website or contact their coordinator.
ROSEPH
(click on organization name to go to website)
Contact: Adeline Zilliox, MentorAbility Coordinator
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