<< Background >>The project stems from the idea of improving the state of consulting in the Third Sector by enhancing the expertise of the various professionals who offer consulting services to the Third Sector, who, through the acquisition of cross-cutting skills and competences, can contribute to the overall improvement of the sector. The needs identified lie both in the requirements of the labour market in the Third Sector consultancy sector and in the improvement of the cross-cutting skills of consultants who offer consultancy to the Third Sector in order to ensure a high standard of service. The project was created with a view to creating a professional figure who can be qualified as a Third Sector expert, thereby growing the non-profit sector through the work of professional consultants and experts. In addition, there was a need to identify the common skills that consultants must have in order to claim to be Third Sector specialists, ensuring that Third Sector organisations have a pool of specialised professionals with a defined career path in the Third Sector that is recognisable on the market.<< Objectives >>The project aims to ensure the progressive improvement of the cross-cutting skills most in demand among the various professionals who offer consultancy in the non-profit sector, thus responding to market needs and developing an innovative professional training model dedicated to the Third Sector. This model will guarantee the acquisition of these skills and the achievement of a standard of quality by professionals, with a view to making them more recognisable in the Third Sector. All this with the overall aim of improving the state of consultancy in the Third Sector, contributing to its growth by enhancing the expertise of Third Sector consultants who, through ad hoc professional training, have acquired new skills and competences with the aim of growing the European non-profit sector. The partnership has therefore identified a common set of core skills that can be adapted to individual national contexts, enabling professionals specialising in the Third Sector to stand out from other consultants and be immediately recognisable.<< Implementation >>The project was implemented through various key actions:- development of a beta version of the vocational training model/VET course to create a cross-cutting skills base necessary for the recognition of Third Sector consultants. Specifically, the state of the art of the Third Sector consultancy sector in the partner countries was mapped and a comparative analysis was carried out to better identify common priorities and cross-cutting skills for the creation of the vocational training model/VET course. In addition, the consolidation of the network between profit and non-profit organisations has enabled a rich exchange of ideas through online and face-to-face round tables with the involvement of relevant stakeholders, strengthening the identification of cross-cutting skills with a view to creating a methodology to consolidate them.- Implementation and testing of the VET course in Italy, Spain and Bulgaria.- Study and validation of a set of indicators at national and European level for the award of a quality and specialisation label for different professionals.- Validation and promotion of the final model.<< Results >>The main outcome of the NPCSKills project was the creation of an innovative and replicable VET training model for TS professionals, capable of strengthening transversal skills in the various professional fields serving the TS. The project outputs are listed below: 1 mapping and analysis dossier of TS consultancy in Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, and Netherlands; 1 list of transversal skills of TS consultants; 1 list of 90 direct 1st, 2nd, and 3rd level STK, for a total of approximately 600 STK (Note: this total number includes the 56 individual STKs plus members of the project's stakeholder networks, such as those in Spain); 1 beta prototype training course for TS professionals; 1 method for attesting consultants' expertise in the non-profit sector; 3 operational reports on the VET pilot course; 1 Guidelines on the New VET Pilot Course and Model; 1 Guidelines on how to choose a TS consultant; 1 Strategic Communication, Dissemination, and Stk Engagement Plan; 40 stakeholders involved (43 endorsement letters); 1 website and 4 social media pages; 1 project logo, 1 label, 1 brochure (3,857 copies), 14 newsletters sent, 1 roll-up, 2,000 giveaways; 1 press conference; 28 press releases and articles; 1 Final Event