From Barriers to Breakthroughs: Advancing Practitioner Development in Ontario’s LBS Sector

This research project was commissioned to better understand the barriers, drivers, and structural realities that shape how LBS practitioners participate in professional development (PD) across Ontario. Through focus groups and interviews with 30 individuals representing delivery sectors and cultural streams, we heard consistently about the conditions needed to improve PD access, engagement and impact. A literature review was used in a complementary way to shape discussion topics and corroborate recommendations. The report offers a suite of interconnected recommendations, each designed to address the structural barriers that limit PD participation. Dedicating service delivery dollars without addressing these broader factors is unlikely to produce the desired outcomes — and may reinforce the very constraints the sector is working to overcome.