Dr Katharine Venter

I am an Associate Professor in the sociology of work and employment within the School of Business. I joined the University of Leicester in 1991 just as the University was launching its first distance learning programmes and I became involved in their development and delivery from the outset. This has been a rewarding experience offering the opportunity for both research led teaching and teaching led research. I was head of the Work and Employment division within the School of Business from August 2016 to August 2021. I am currently programme lead for the School's Doctorate in Social Sciences programme. I have an undergraduate degree in Applied Sociology. My PhD research was a comparative study women managers’ careers in Hong Kong and Britain. I am a senior fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

My research interests revolve around issues of gender, employment and the interconnections between paid work, unpaid work and home family and leisure lives. My current research explores these issues in the context of the non-profit and voluntary sector with a particular interest in health and social care organisations, voluntary work and voluntary labour. I'm also interested in the cultural context of work and learning (including experiences of both formal education and workplace learning). I have undertaken research funded by bodies including the ILO, CIPD, Skills Third Sector and the British Academy.

Venter, K. (2022). Betwixt and Between: The Invisible Experiences of Volunteers’ Body Work. Work, Employment and Society, 36(5), 911-927. https://doi.org/10.1177/09500170211061226

Currie, D., McCracken, M. and Venter, K. (2022) Avoiding the Vicious Cycle, Engendering the Virtuous Circle: Understanding the Interaction of human, social and organizational capitals in Non-Profit Organizations Journal of Business Research Vol 152, pp17-28.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.07.022

van Teijlingen, E., Venter, K. (2022) Writing a book review, In: Wasti, S.P., van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P.P., Hundley, V. with Shreesh, K. (Eds.) (2022) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books, pages: 162-167.  [ISBN: 9789937117609]

Venter, K., Currie, D., & McCracken, M. (2019). ‘You Can’t Win’: The Non-Profit Double-Bind and Experiences of Organisational Contradictions in the Non-Profit and Voluntary Sector. Work, Employment and Society, 33(2), 244-261. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017017713949

Venter, K. (2018) Volunteering identities: the role of volunteering in creating, maintaining and developing identities Work, Employment and Society Conference Belfast 12-14 September

Venter, K. (2017) Exploring the spaces between home and work: The mediating role of digital technologies in experiences of contemporary voluntary work. WORK 2017 16-18 August 2017 Turku, Finland.

Venter, K. (2011) Fathers Care Too: The impact of family relationships on the experience of work for parents of disabled children, Sociological Research Online 16(3): http://www.socresonline.org.uk/16/3/1.html

Venter, K. and Sung, J. (2009) Do Skills Matter? A Literature Review on Skills and Workforce Development in the Third Sector. Literature Review Report commissioned by Skills Third Sector. 

Abusidalaghoul, V., Goodwin, J., James, N., Rainnie, A., Venter, K ., and White, M (2009) Sitting on a wall in Northumberland crying: The realities of semi-structured interviews, in Townsend, K. and Burgess, J. (eds) (2009) Method in the Madness? Research Stories You Won't Find in a Textbook. Oxford: Chandos. 

Venter, K. (2004) One country, two systems, multiple skill demands: the dilemmas facing the education system in the People's Republic of China, Journal of Education and Work, vol 17, no 3, pp 283-300. 

Sung, J. Venter, K. & Quinn, M. (2004) Training and Development in Britain 2004, London, CIPD  

Venter, K. (2003) Building on formal education: employers' approaches to the training and development of new recruits in the People's Republic of China, International Journal of Training and Development, vol 7, no 3, pp 186-202. 

Venter, K. (2003) Coping with isolation:the role of culture in adult distance learners' use of surrogates. Open Learning, Vol 18, no 3, pp271-287

Venter, K. (2002) Common careers, different experiences: women managers in Hong Kong and Britain Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. Paperback and Hardback, pp.245.

Venter, K. (2002) Learners in Hong Kong, Malaysia and the UK in Lifelong Learning in Action: Hong Kong Practitioners' Perspectives Cribbin, J. and Kennedy P. (eds) Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.

Venter, K., Ashton, D. and Sung, J. (2002) Education and Skills in the People’s Republic of China, Geneva: International Labour Organisation. 

Goodwin, J, HILLS, K and Ashton, D (1999) International Briefing 2: Training and Development in the United Kingdom, International Journal of Training and Development, vol 3, no 2, pp 167-179.

Goodwin, J and HILLS, K (1999) A view from Hong Kong: Chinese representations of war, violence & American imperialism, Sociological Research Online, vol 4, no 2 <http://www.socresonline.org.uk/4/2/goodwin_hills.html>

Work in the non profit and voluntary sector

Volunteering and voluntary organisations

The interconnections between work family and leisure lives

Gender, work and careers

Experiences of learning in higher education and distance learning

Transitions into and out of education

Programme Lead - Doctorate in Social Sciences

Module Leader LM8001 D.Soc.Sci - Introduction to Social Research

Module Leader LM8002 D.Soc.Sci - Foundations of Social Research

Module Leader LM8004 D.Soc.Sci - Qualitative Methods and Analysis

Module Leader LM8014 D.Soc.Sci - Gender Work and Society

Module Leader LM7503 MSc HRM and Training (DL) - Research Methods

Module Leader LM3507 BSc HRM (DL) - Equality and Diversity

Module Leader LM3510 BSc HRM (DL) - Dissertation

MN7701 MBA Induction Leader  

Gender and careers

Work and employment in the non profit and voluntary sector

Volunteering and voluntary work