There is no single best PLC training in the UK. The right choice depends on which PLC brand your employer or target employer uses, how much hands-on hardware you need, whether you need a regulated credential, and what you can afford. On 21 October 2026, publicly listed prices for five-day-style courses ran from £995 + VAT (Make UK, three days) to £1,800 + VAT (Scantime, four days), with Dudley College's evening course free for eligible learners and Siemens SITRAIN priced only by quotation.
This guide compares the main routes fairly, including where EDWartens fits and where it does not. Every price below was re-checked on the provider's own page on 21 October 2026; where a page shows no price, we say so.
Which PLC training options exist in the UK?
There are seven realistic routes: vendor training, accredited independent trainers, employer-body courses, FE college courses, apprenticeships, online live or self-paced providers, and free resources. Each trades price, hands-on time and credential differently.
- Vendor training (Siemens SITRAIN). Official five-day TIA Portal courses. The online edition of TIA Portal Programming 1 (code TIA-PRO1) runs over Microsoft Teams with a cloud virtual lab, and its syllabus covers S7-1500 modules, an ET 200SP PROFINET system, a TP700 touch panel and a SINAMICS G120 drive. Siemens lists dates (16 November 2026 on a waitlist, then 22 February and 10 May 2027) but no price: it sends a personalised quotation.
- Accredited independent trainers. Technique Learning Solutions runs a five-day PLC course covering two or three of Siemens S7, Allen-Bradley and Mitsubishi, with each learner on their own rig, and says it is accredited by City & Guilds. Scantime's IMFFP 1&2 is a four-day, City & Guilds Assured course with live PLCs, available on several platforms including Siemens TIA Portal.
- Employer bodies. Make UK runs a three-day PLC programming course at its Aston, Birmingham centre. Its syllabus page lists Step 7 V11.0, so ask which software version you will actually use. It issues a certificate of attendance with no assessment.
- FE colleges. Dudley College's Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) 1 Level 4 is a Wednesday-evening course (18:00 to 21:00) using Siemens S7-1200 and TIA Portal, plus a Festo MPS conveyor and sorting system. It is free if you are eligible, though the autumn 2026 intake was marked full and the next start listed is 3 March 2027.
- Apprenticeships. The Level 4 Automation and Controls Engineering Technician standard (ST0662) has a typical duration of 48 months, according to Skills England.
- Online providers. Live instructor-led and self-paced options, including EDWartens.
- Free resources. Vendor documentation, YouTube, and free simulators.
How do the UK PLC training options compare?
The table below shows what each provider's own page said on 21 October 2026. "Price on request" means no price was displayed.
| Route | Format | Length | Listed price | Credential | Hardware or simulation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Siemens SITRAIN (TIA Portal Programming 1) | Online, live (Teams) | 5 days | Price on request (quotation) | Siemens course | Cloud virtual lab |
| Technique Learning Solutions | In person (Derbyshire) or on-site | 5 days | £1,030 + VAT (£1,236 inc VAT) | City & Guilds accredited | Own physical rig per learner |
| Scantime IMFFP 1&2 | In person | 4 days | £1,800 + VAT | City & Guilds Assured | Live PLCs |
| Make UK | In person (Aston, Birmingham) | 3 days | £995 + VAT (£840 + VAT members) | Certificate of attendance | Training centre; rig details not listed |
| Dudley College PLCs 1 Level 4 | Evening classes | 16 Sep to 25 Nov 2026 (Wednesdays) | Free if eligible | Competency certificate, no formal assessment | Workshop with S7-1200 and Festo MPS |
| Apprenticeship (Level 4 standard) | Employed, part-time study | About 48 months | Funded through the employer route | Apprenticeship standard | Workplace plus training provider |
| EDWartens Professional Module | Online, live (Teams) plus self-paced | 5 days live plus 68 self-paced modules | £2,140 + VAT (£2,568) | CPD certificate, 80 credits | Simulation (PLCSIM, Factory I/O) |
| EDWartens free lab and courses | Browser and self-paced | Your pace | Free | None | Browser simulators |
Notice what the table cannot show: quality of teaching, class size and how well a course suits you. Those need a conversation with the provider.
How do you choose the right PLC course?
Start with the PLC brand, then work through the other criteria below. A course in the wrong platform is the commonest expensive mistake.
- Match the brand to the job. Look at ten adverts for the role you want. Siemens TIA Portal, Allen-Bradley Studio 5000 and Mitsubishi GX Works all appear in UK job ads. Multi-vendor courses (Technique, Scantime) suit maintenance staff who meet several brands; single-vendor courses suit people targeting one employer or sector.
- Decide if you need real hardware. Wiring a rig and finding a physical fault builds habits that simulation cannot fully replace. For a deeper look at the trade-off, read PLC training kit vs simulator.
- Check the credential type. City & Guilds and apprenticeship standards are regulated routes; CPD certificates and certificates of attendance are not. Our guide to CPD vs City & Guilds vs Siemens certification explains what each means to employers.
- Ask who pays. Employer-funded learners can usually afford a vendor course; self-funded career changers often start with a free or low-cost route first.
- Look at class size and contact time. Ask how many learners share one instructor and how many hours are live.
- Read the syllabus for software versions. TIA Portal V17, V18 and V19 differ in places, and some older syllabuses still list STEP 7 classic.
- Ask what happens after the course. Is there access to materials, a way to ask questions, or help preparing applications?
What does a TIA Portal course actually teach?
Most Siemens courses cover the same ground: creating a project, configuring hardware, writing ladder logic (LAD), using timers and counters, then testing and diagnosing. This 20-minute video shows what first-day TIA Portal work looks like, so you can judge whether it suits you before paying anyone.
What are the red flags when choosing PLC training?
The biggest red flag is any promise of employment. No reputable provider controls whether an employer hires you, so be sceptical of headline placement percentages, unnamed hiring partners and success figures with no source.
Other warning signs:
- No price and no syllabus. SITRAIN's quotation model is a normal vendor practice, but an independent provider with neither a price nor a syllabus is hiding something.
- Vague accreditation. "Accredited" should name the body and be verifiable. A CPD certificate should have a number you can check; a City & Guilds claim should be confirmable with the centre.
- Unclear hardware. If the page says "hands-on" but never says whether that means real PLCs, a virtual lab or software simulation, ask.
- Pressure to pay today. Quality courses run to a calendar; dates do not vanish tonight.
- Reviews you cannot trace. Prefer independent platforms to testimonials supplied by the seller.
Is PLC training worth the money?
The pay data suggest there is demand, though training alone does not secure a job. According to ITJobsWatch (6 months to 21 October 2026), the median advertised salary for permanent PLC Engineer roles in the UK was £60,000 (£57,000 a year earlier), from 144 adverts, with a 10th percentile of £42,500. ITJobsWatch is IT-focused and these samples are small, so treat the figures as a signal rather than a promise. Entry roles pay less: on 21 October 2026 Reed's trainee PLC listings showed example salaries from about £25,000 to £50,000, with junior controls and PLC engineer adverts at £30,000 to £40,000. Costs and payback are covered in PLC training cost in the UK.
Where does EDWartens fit, and what are its limits?
EDWartens suits self-funded learners who want a structured, live, online route to Siemens TIA Portal and WinCC at a published price. It does not suit anyone who needs a physical rig, a regulated qualification, or a non-Siemens platform.
The facts: the Professional Module is a five-day live online class (Microsoft Teams, instructor-led) on Siemens TIA Portal, with the certificate stating TIA Portal V17. Days 1 to 2 cover the environment, S7 PLC hardware, ladder logic and simulation; day 3 covers HMI; days 4 to 5 cover WinCC SCADA. It is followed or accompanied by 68 self-paced Basic Engineering modules, with a career-support resume session, 7 role-specific CV templates and interview preparation. The price is £2,140 + VAT = £2,568, with a £100 deposit to reserve a seat, cohorts start every Monday and each holds a maximum of 10 learners. The CPD certificate carries 80 CPD credits through The CPD Group and can be verified at edwartens.co.uk/verify.
The honest limits: it is Siemens-focused, so it will not teach Allen-Bradley or Mitsubishi; it is online with simulation (PLCSIM and Factory I/O) rather than a physical rig; and CPD is a certified development activity, not a regulated qualification like City & Guilds. There is no job promise; career support means help preparing applications.
How EDWartens can help
If you are not ready to pay, start free. The free browser simulators need no install, and the free Siemens TIA Portal course covers the basics. If you want a structured live class, see the Professional Module or create an account to pick a Monday start. Funding options for England are explained in our guide to funded PLC training.
