Background: The Social and Health Education Project is a 40 year old voluntary organisation with a unqiue non-formal adult education programme. We have over 200 personnel (course coordinators, trainers, and tutors) involved in delivering our programme which is largely open access, non-formal education with a specific focus on using experiential approaches and methodologies to support health and well-being. We have been very effective in delivering our programme though we have tended to be somewhat insular. We accept the need to be more outward looking (particularly to the European experience), and to draw on the experience of others to modernise our training programme and to improve quality. The objectives of this two year professional development project is to support the modernisation and Europeanisation of SHEP's unique adult training programme by up-skilling a number of staff through participation in carefully selected training in European countries which responds to specific needs identified as part of a training needs analysis and training development planning. 10 participants will be involved over a two-year period (Sept 2014-Aug 2016) - with participants coming from the three main areas of SHEP training staff - course coordinators (3); SHEP Trainers (4) ; SHEP Community Education Tutors (3) In response to identified need, ten mobilities will be organised to allow chosen project staff to participate in excellent staff training opportunities/structured courses which are directly related to project training work - some of these will be accredited, most are not expected to be. Five key training needs have been identified, as follows: i) Quality assurance/management of staff - particularly supervision of trainers involved in provided personal development/experiential training - 1 mobility ii) Curriculum development for Personal Development Training - 3 mobilities iii) New teaching Methods in social education - 1 mobility iv) Incorporating European dimension into SHEP human rights/advocacy education programme - 3 mobilities v) Developing staff competence for Community/Outreach Education- 2 mobilities There will be a number of steps in the methodology, as follows: identifying of appropriate training opportunities (in addition to those already identified); publicising of opportunities identified among SHEP staff; expression of interest completed; standard application process; (interview, in specific cases only); confirmation of results and expectations; preparation of candidates; making of arrangements; completion of training by participants; writing of reports by participants; de-briefing by SHEP; presentations to relevant SHEP groups/fora and other dissemination/multiplication activities; and participation in a final focus group discussion (on dissemination and evaluation). We expect the impact of this programme to be significant and to be sustainable. At the participant level we expect new understandings and connections to arise which will support trainer/tutor effectiveness and hence enhance the experience of our adult learners. At the training programme level we expect the adult learners on our courses to benefit from improved course curricula and teaching methods, as well as improved enthusiasm and Trainer/Tutor morale. As an organisation, this programme will help SHEP to become more outward looking, to become less insular and more Europeanised. It will help introduce best practice and will support the development of SHEP as a learning organisation. We expect it to enhance interest to further up-skilling among SHEP Trainers and Tutors and we expect it will increase morale at a time of great challenge in the sector. This programme represents a value for money investment in the SHEP training programme which will have far reaching and sustainable impact.