TÜV AUSTRIA HELLAS, in cooperation with TÜV AUSTRIA ACADEMY (the academy of TÜV AUSTRIA HELLAS in Greece) carried out successfully the Continuous Professional Development Advanced level programme, under the title: «Analysis, Evaluation & Application of Structural Repair & Protection Methods according to the principles of the European Standard ELOT EN 1504». This educational program, with duration 180 hours, was the first organized in Greece and it was under the auspices of the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure and Networks / General Secretariat of Public Works and the famous scientific journal «International Journal of Structural Integrity» of the publishing house «Emerald Group Publishing».
The program was a great success, as more than 60 executives and scientists of the construction sector attended, while the asynchronous e-learning was used as well via a specially designed electronic platform. The benefits gained by the participants were multiple, as important theoretical and practical principles on modern and specialized scientific fields around the construction sector. In addition, in the context of the practical part, several visits were made, such as at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (the new Greek National Opera and the National Library of Greece), at bridges of the Egnatia Odos and industries such as Sika and Marmoline. Also, it worth mentioning that the standard ELOT EN 1504 for the first time, includes requirements for the implementation of special feasibility conditions, such as maintenance study, the study of resistance and service life cost and the reliability study of the structural integrity, which are fields of important growth in recent years.
The speakers in this educational program were 17 distinguished scientists from both the university community, as they are University Professors in Greece and abroad, and the business community, as they are well-established market executives (technical managers of multinational companies some of whom came directly from their mother companies from abroad to teach). Moreover, the project was supported through sponsorships by large companies of the particular field, such as: RESTAT, SIKA HELLAS, MARMOLINE, KERAKOLL, EGNATIA ODOS, EPIDOMOS LTD., PENETRON HELLAS, SINTECNO HELLAS, HILTI HELLAS.
The new cycle of that continuous professional development programme is planned to begin in April 2015 and it will incorporate all remarks and comments resulted from the previous one aiming to continual improvement of this innovative educational project. The registrations for the 2015/2016 class are going to begin on 2/3/2015. This year there will be the possibility for Cyprian students to participate too via the asynchronous e-learning platform. For more detail and registrations please contact Mrs. Vicky Makrantoni (tel: +302105220920, ext: 130, e-mail: vassiliki.makrantoni@tuvaustriahellas.gr).
In a few days there will be an official announcement about the Open Day during which the interested young students may receive additional information.