Introduction The general aim of the programme is to strengthen the occupational health expertise and scientific capacity of the Public Health Institution of Turkey (PHIT) by organising trainings, mentoring, exchange visits and networking.

Methods Following the ADDIE model (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation), five training modules have been developed and implemented in the course of 2016. At present, we evaluate the training programme to see if the learning objectives have been met and to gather information in order to further enhance the efficiency and success rate of the project. Qualitative evaluation forms questioning the content and format of the trainings, the organisation and the trainers were filled in by the 44 participants from PHIT after each training module. Trainees also rated quantitatively on a scale from 0 to 10, all parts of the training. To measure changes in knowledge and skills regarding occupational health surveillance and research, a self-efficacy questionnaire was developed and administered three times. Descriptive statistics were computed.

Results Overall, very high rankings and positive comments were generated. No major recommendations for improvement of the trainings were formulated. Some minor issues concerned the amelioration of the learning environment and conditions e.g. a better time management to assimilate the new information. The level of self-efficacy in occupational health surveillance and research increased significantly after the trainings. The highest increase was observed for research skills. Female students scored significantly higher on self-efficacy than men while no effect of age was demonstrated.

Conclusion Feedback on the implemented training programme was generally very favourable and participants were able to acquire competencies in the subject matter. Further details on the project and the different learning materials can be obtained free of charge and under Creative Commons licenses, at the project website http://www.esprit-ohs.eu/en/.