Training for the Eurocodes

We believe that the best way to learn is hands-on because that way much more is absorbed and retained, so the training is very productive. We are certain that the most effective training course is one that shows the principles and then lets the student actually do something useful with a computer program that has knowledge built into it, but not hidden away, and so this is what we offer.

Our training courses for bridge design start from the basics, and work all the way through to the completed design of a concrete section, a precast pretensioned bridge or a steel concrete composite bridge, taking in the analysis, load optimisation and loading combinations. In short, they cover everything that a bridge engineer needs within Sam’s scope.

The training courses not only teach the principles and details of the design codes, but also give training on Sam, and this means that it can be used with confidence back in the office immediately after the course has finished, and the extensive online Help system can be used to answer the day-to-day queries that engineers will have.

Training Courses Available from Bestech

Our courses start from the basics, and work all the way through to the completed design of a concrete section, a precast pretensioned bridge or a steel concrete composite bridge, taking in the analysis, load optimisation and loading combinations. In short, they cover everything that a bridge engineer needs within the scope of our software.

Please see our training course list for more details of our Eurocode training course contents.

The training courses not only teach the principles and details of Eurocodes, but also give training on our software, and this means that it can be used with confidence back in the office immediately after the course has finished, and the extensive online Help system can be used to answer the day-to-day queries that engineers will have. Of course it will be necessary to have licensed a copy of the software, but this cost is smaller than the the return-on-investment from training and so can easily be justified and at the end you would have access to an extremely powerful design and analysis package which would have been justified and paid for by the Training Budget!

The Cost of not Training

The concept of a learning curve is familiar in all walks of life. In the context of a civil engineering design office implementing a new unfamiliar design code, the curve is as shown in the following diagram.

At the point at which the new design code is introduced, productivity decreases sharply, and the productivity between that point, and the point at which normal productivity is restored takes the shape of the learning curve as shown. The area bounded by the curve and normal productivity represents a cost. Clearly there are only 2 ways the cost can be reduced:

1. The initial drop in productivity arises from lack of familiarity, so maximising the familiarity in as many other respects as possible is important, as described under Implementation
2. The time until normal productivity is restored is minimised by undertaking effective training.

Both of these measures together have a major impact on the cost, as can be seen by comparing the areas bounded by the 2 curves in the diagram.

Knowing an engineer's charge-out rates, an estimate can be made of the cost involved by estimating the initial loss of productivity as a percentage, and the time to full productivity in months. One analyst suggests that this could typically amount to approximately £13,500 per engineer at 2004 rates, although this is generally reckoned to be somewhat high. Nevertheless the scope for benefiting from effective computer based hands-on training is evident.

The Role of Software

The aims of the software industry are always to improve productivity and / or to improve the end product. In the context of the implementation of Eurocodes, software has an important role to play.

For training and familiarisation purposes there are 2 features in the software of particular benefit.

1. The on-line help facility with full references to the relevant design code clauses.
   
   

   
   

   Example of 'Help'
   (Click for larger image)

   
   
   
   
2. The detailed hand-calculation style printout, also with full references to the relevant design code clauses.
   
   

   
   

   Example of 'hand-calculations'
   (Click for larger image)

In many respects the calculations required by Eurocodes are more complex than those required by other design codes that we are aware of. This is of no significance when the calculations are done by computer using similar input in both cases. If in addition the computer produces calculation output mimicking hand calculations, with copious references to the relevant clauses of the design codes, this can also have a major impact on the training process.

Courses such as those outlined here not only deliver knowledge about the Eurocodes, but also they inspire confidence in the use of the software, and this means that the software can be used immediately on real projects. With the on-line Help system giving day-to-day guidance, the learning process becomes available full time, and the total learning time is dramatically reduced.

The combination of courses using hands on Computer Based Training, and having software such as Sam installed in the office is fast and effective and will repay itself many times over by reducing engineer's learning times: and at the end of the project the office will have some exceedingly powerful design and analysis software acquired almost for free since it was cost justified against a training budget.