D4.1: Interim PRACE Training Report

The Training Work Package (WP4) of the PRACE Fifth Implementation Phase (PRACE-5IP) project is responsible for the training activities of PRACE. In addition to the extensive programme of face-to-face training delivered by the PRACE Advanced Training Centres (PATCs) and PRACE Training Centres (PTCs), the training activities also include the On-demand training events, a series of online training offerings such as the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), the training code repository (CodeVault) and the training portal. This deliverable is a report of all the PRACE-5IP training activities during the initial 15 months of the project. PRACE-5IP continued the training activities of PRACE-4IP starting from February 2017. Between February 2017 and April 2018, the six PATCs delivered 103 courses, 290 course-days with 2,396 participants, while the four PTCs delivered 12 courses, 21 course-days with 351 participants. The feedback responses received have been overwhelmingly positive (8.5/10 average overall rating for PATC courses). Similarly, the PRACE Seasonal Schools in PRACE-5IP have been carefully selected via a formal selection process. The Seasonal Schools scheduled for this reporting period, namely the Autumn School 2017 in Gdańsk, Poland and the Winter Seasonal School 2018 in Bratislava, Slovak Republic, attracted 39 attendees in total, and obtained high overall ratings. In addition, WP4 continued the collaboration with the Centres of Excellence (CoEs) where a number of On-demand events were organised. Finally, WP4 co-organised the 2017 International Summer School on HPC Challenges in Computational Sciences in Boulder, Colorado, United States of America, from 25-30 June 2017. All forms of face-to-face and online training are complementary. They contribute to the success of the PRACE training programme, and should be continued in future PRACE HPC training activities. In accordance with the PRACE-5IP goals, the majority of training events also address industrial users, and motivate them by showing the importance and benefits of HPC for the practice