The two-day training session held prior to the World Tunnel Congress 2015 in Dubrovnik, Croatia, closed the 23th of May with very positive feedback from the participants and the lecturers.

As usual for the Pre WTC training session, the course has been co-organized by the WTC Host ITA Nation member, ITA Croatia, and the ITACET Foundation. In coordination with ITA Croatia, the ITA Committee for education and training (ITA-CET) developed the program, selected the lecturers and reviewed the presentations proposed.

This year the training session has been programmed with two theme, “Soft Ground Urban Tunneling” and “Rock Tunnelling in Karst”; each occupying one full day of the training session. Registration option allowed participants to follow the full two-day course or only one day.

The training’s venue, Valamar Lacroma Hotel, offered a very comfortable setting for the course.

One hundred and forty participants attended, two third were from Croatia and neighboring SEE countries, the remaining third being of very international origin, with participants from Asia, Australia, North and South America and other European countries.

Several students and teaching staff from civil engineering faculties of the universities of Zagreb, Rijeka and Split were invited to attend by the WTC15 organization. This generous initiative from Mr. Davorin Kolic, chair of the WTC2015 allowed them to travel to Dubrovnik, stay for the duration of the training session and follow the full two-day course free of charge.

On the first day, the participants were welcomed by the President of ITA Croatia, Mr. Davorin Kolic. The training session was then officially opened with a speech of Mr. Soren Degn Eskesen, ITA-AITES President, highlighting the good health of the underground industry and its constant need for specialized engineers.

Thirteen lecturers were invited by the ITA-CET Committee to speak during the course.

The Balance between the participation of university professors and delegates from the industry was a key factor of the success of the training session. The participants had the opportunity to listen to high level academicals presentation and learn from the field experience of renowned engineers and designers by listening to several case study.

The program scheduled several questions and answers session, whose were animated by lively exchange between the public and the lecturers. The participants also enjoyed the opportunity to meet the lecturers during the break and at the end of each day’s sessions.

The Foundation would like to thank ITA Croatia for the impeccable organization of this event and the ITA-CET Committee for having developed the program and recruited a brilliant panel of international experts, namely and in the order of their intervention: Søren Degn Eskesen (COWI AS, Denmark), Robert Galler (University of Leoben, Austria), Tim Babendererde (Babendererde Engineers, Germany), Tarcísio B. Celestino (University of São Paulo and Themag Engenharia), - Thomas Peinsitt (SANDVIK), Karin Bäppler (Herrenknecht AG, Germany), Jinxiu (Jenny) Yan (China Railway Southwest Research Institute Co., Ltd., China), Felix Amberg (Amberg Group, Switzerland) , Ivan Vrkljan (University of Rijeka, Croatia), Davorin Kolic (Geodata, Croatia), Alain Poloni (Eiffage, France), Detlef Jordan (The Robbins Company, USA), Donald Lamont (Hyperbaric & Tunnel Safety Ltd, United Kingdom).

Last but not least, our thanks go to all participants of the training session.