This IEF project will use a combined qualitative and quantitative approach to investigate the correlation between meta skills in Experiential and Outdoor Education (EE/OE) facilitators and the success of EE programmes (EEPs) as measured by participants and sponsors. The overall goal is to obtain more tangible information on which skills and personality attributes in educators most ideally support the development of key competencies in participants. The notion of transfer into school settings will receive particular attention in the study design.The project and IEF will be conducted in collaboration with Professor Peter Higgins and the Outdoor Education Department, University of Edinburgh, UK.The innovative feature of this project is that it is the first to investigate the impact of the factor 'human' on the learning outcome and it is expected to yield valuable insights into how to increase effectiveness and efficiency of EEPs. Also, in combination with the researcher's training, neurocognitive research methods will be implemented, which is an absolut novelty to EE/OE research and is expected to act as sign post for future investigations.EE is gaining notable weight not only in promoting social and personal competence in pupils, but also as assessment and training tool in HRM. The project aims to raise further awareness of the socio-economical value in the EE/OE approach to the commercial sector, which has a direct resale value to OEE providers as well as HRM groups in internationally acting companies and could also strengthen the European Community's competitiveness on the worldwide market.And finally, the IEF will be of great benefit to the researcher's medium and long-term career development by offering a set of unique and high quality training steps in scientific skills and general key competences that will aid her in attaining a leading research position, and thus contribute to the European Research Area by striving towards future quality research.