BACKGROUND: At the University of Applied Sciences Vienna a train the trainer certificate programme (TTT) for 15 teachers of medical-therapeutic health professionals (physiotherapy, speech therapy, dietology, occupational therapy) was developed, implemented and evaluated. The programme was based on a TTT for postgraduate communication skills teaching previously developed in close cooperation with tEACH (the teaching committee of EACH). The aim of the TTT was to qualify participants for developing and implementing communication skills teaching courses (CST) for their students according to evidence-based standards. ***METHODS: Based on a needs assessment among the teachers, broad curricular goals, specific measurable objectives and educational strategies were defined. The programme included four in-class courses, a practical facilitators’ manual, participants’ practice projects, peer feedback and mentoring. The programme was delivered by teaching trainers supervised by tEACH. Using retrospective pre-post self-assessment of teaching and communication skills and satisfaction with training, the programme was evaluated among TTT-participants as well as their learners in the courses delivered as practice projects. The usefulness of the different programme elements was evaluated in a questionnaire survey and a group discussion with TTT-participants. ***FINDINGS: 15 participants graduated from the TTT. Participants’ satisfaction was mostly rated as very high both for TTT and CST. Post-training, participants’ self-efficacy ratings for specific teaching skills (TTT) and student learners’ self-efficacy ratings for specific communication skills (CST) have improved. Participants all implemented the CST into their own teaching programmes. Some suggestions for improving the TTT were identified. ***DISCUSSION: This programme is an important step to sustainably improving CST for medical-therapeutic health professionals in Austria. To guarantee high quality and consistency, TTT-graduates have become members of a national trainer network, which offers continuous learning opportunities as well as teaching materials. Lessons learned can contribute to others interested in implement-ing TTT-programmes for healthcare faculty.