Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in Uncertain Times: Insights from the Italian Actors’ Response to the COVID-19 Crisis

Abstract

This paper investigates the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) experiences of performing arts professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. The research is aimed at examining actors’ approaches and challenges to inform current and future CPD strategies, better suited to address the uncertainties of the social and economic juncture. The following four main themes are elicited by the research: the renewed need for self-directedness in CPD, the struggle to overcome the decrease in CPD opportunities in the workplace environment, the intensification of the use of social media for CPD purposes, and the role of CPD in the diversification of competencies. The investigation shows that CPD is still a relatively underdeveloped subject in the performing arts sector and that the attitudes towards, environments of, platforms for and focus on CPD will benefit from a critical re-evaluation in the postdigital context. Implications of these results for practitioners, policymakers, and public and private organisations are discussed.