A delegation of senior managers from social enterprises across Europe has visited PNE to mark the start of a project which aims to strengthen third sector organisations in five EU countries.

PNE Group hosted the visit for its consortium of international partners and will support them to deliver an accredited training programme to meet the needs of third sector organisations in their own countries.

PNE will support the 10 managers from Austria, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, and Turkey to work together and deliver the project, which will strengthen policies, practices and systems for the management of volunteers.

The prestigious €280,000 project, led by PNE Group, is being funded by the European Union’s Leonardo Transfer of Innovation scheme. It will enable PNE to share with its EU partners over 15 years of experience working with third sector groups in the North of England, which has included training over 2,500 people in more than 1,600 organisations.

The two year project will enable PNE to train key people in each country and provide them with the skills and resources to deliver programmes to develop people and their organisations.

One of PNE’s consortium partners is Greek social enterprise Hellenic Regional Development Centre (HRDC) which specialises in training and regional development. Sofia Fakou of HRDC says, “There is a vibrant third sector in Greece, but the lack of an official framework for vocational education of managers is limiting its development.

“This programme is very important as it will enable the transfer of vocational guidance from the UK which will allow us to provide an innovative programme of training and qualifications for the development of the sector in Greece.”

Tracey Moore of PNE Group says, “It was important for all the members of the consortium to meet up and share their experiences and expertise. We have an exceptional international team in place and a fantastic opportunity to strengthen third sector organisations in Europe, using expertise developed in the North East.”