PLC training in the UK costs from nothing to over £2,000, depending on route. Listed prices on 21 October 2026 were £995 + VAT for Make UK's three-day course, £1,030 + VAT for Technique's five-day City & Guilds course, £1,800 + VAT for Scantime's four-day course and £2,140 + VAT for the EDWartens Professional Module (£2,568 including VAT). Dudley College's evening course was free if eligible, and Siemens SITRAIN gave no list price.
Prices below were taken from each provider's own page on 21 October 2026. Where a page showed no price, it says "price on request". VAT is 20% and is shown separately because most UK course pages quote ex-VAT figures.
How much does PLC training cost in the UK?
The cost depends mainly on route: free resources sit at one end, employer-funded vendor courses and multi-year apprenticeships at the other, with paid short courses in between.
| Route | Length | Price shown | Inc VAT | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free simulators and courses (EDWartens lab and free courses) | Your pace | Free | Free | No credential |
| Dudley College PLCs 1 Level 4 | Wednesday evenings, 16 Sep to 25 Nov 2026 | Free if eligible | Free if eligible | Funding rules apply; next start 3 March 2027 |
| Make UK, Programming PLC | 3 days | £995 + VAT (£840 + VAT members) | £1,194 (£1,008 members) | Certificate of attendance |
| Technique Learning Solutions | 5 days | £1,030 + VAT | £1,236 | City & Guilds accredited; payment plan listed |
| Scantime IMFFP 1&2 | 4 days | £1,800 + VAT | £2,160 | City & Guilds Assured |
| EDWartens Professional Module | 5 days live online plus self-paced modules | £2,140 + VAT | £2,568 | CPD certificate; £100 deposit option |
| Siemens SITRAIN TIA Portal Programming 1 | 5 days | Price on request | Price on request | Quotation by email |
| RealPars membership (US-based online library) | Monthly | $50 a month billed yearly, $60 monthly | Not shown | Self-paced; price in US dollars |
| Level 4 apprenticeship (ST0662) | About 48 months | Funding band up to £14,000 | Not applicable | Paid via employer route |
Two cautions. First, short courses differ in length, so compare price per day only alongside syllabus and credential. Second, prices change; check the provider's page before booking.
What drives the price of PLC training?
Four things drive price: hardware, accreditation, duration and class size. Understanding them lets you judge whether a fee is reasonable rather than simply comparing totals.
- Hardware. In-person courses need a PLC rig, a computer and floor space for every learner. Technique says each learner works on a dedicated rig, and Scantime says learners work on live PLCs. Online simulation or a cloud lab removes that cost. Siemens' online TIA Portal course uses a cloud virtual lab accessed through a browser.
- Accreditation. City & Guilds assurance involves fees. One independent trainer's page says City & Guilds accreditation can be added as an upgrade for an additional £110. Accreditation is therefore a real cost, and worth paying only if employers in your field ask for it. Read CPD vs City & Guilds vs Siemens certification to judge.
- Duration. Make UK runs three days; Technique and SITRAIN five; Scantime four. Longer courses cost more but are not automatically better.
- Class size. A maximum of 10 learners per cohort (EDWartens) means more instructor time per person than a large lecture, and costs more to deliver.
What hidden costs should you budget for?
The listed fee rarely covers the whole spend. Check each of the following before you compare totals.
- VAT. A £1,030 + VAT course costs £1,236. A VAT-registered employer can normally reclaim VAT, but an individual paying personally cannot.
- Software licences. Course software is usually provided during the course, but you may need your own licence or trial afterwards to keep practising. Check what remains accessible once the course ends; Siemens, for example, gives SITRAIN learning-platform access from one week before the course until two weeks after it.
- Travel and accommodation. For in-person courses, factor in travel, hotels and time away from work. Make UK trains in Aston, Birmingham; Technique in Derbyshire; Dudley College in the West Midlands.
- Time off work. A five-day course means five days of leave or lost earnings.
- Equipment. Online courses need a reliable PC. SITRAIN's online course asks for a PC with at least 15 Mbit/s connectivity, a microphone, headset and ideally a second display.
- Accreditation add-ons. As noted above, regulated credentials can carry extra fees.
- Further courses. One course rarely makes you job-ready; progression courses add cost.
How can you fund PLC training in England?
Funding is possible but narrow, and EDWartens' private course does not qualify for most schemes. The main routes are free adult courses at colleges, employer funding, apprenticeships, and Advanced Learner Loans for regulated qualifications.
- Free college courses. Dudley College lists its PLC course as free if eligible, subject to funding rules such as age, residence and income.
- Employer funding. Many learners are sponsored by employers, and employers can often reclaim VAT.
- Apprenticeships. The Level 4 Automation and Controls Engineering Technician standard has a maximum funding band of £14,000 and a typical duration of 48 months, according to Skills England. You are employed while you learn.
- Advanced Learner Loans. According to GOV.UK, you must be 19 or over and studying a Level 3, 4, 5 or 6 qualification at an approved college or training provider in England. EDWartens' Professional Module is a CPD course, not a regulated qualification, so it is not eligible for this loan.
The full picture, including Skills Bootcamps and local schemes, is in funded PLC training in England.
Is PLC training worth the money?
Whether it pays back depends on your starting point and whether you land a role. The advertised market shows decent pay: ITJobsWatch reported a median advertised salary of £60,000 for permanent PLC Engineer roles in the six months to 21 October 2026, up from £57,000 a year earlier, across 144 adverts. ITJobsWatch is IT-focused and these samples are small, so it is only an indication.
Entry-level pay is lower. On 21 October 2026, Reed's trainee PLC listings showed example salaries of £25,000 to £27,000 for graduate control systems roles, £30,000 to £40,000 for junior controls and PLC engineers, and £40,000 to £50,000 for a junior automation role using Siemens TIA Portal.
A simple, illustrative calculation: £2,568 is about 4.5 weeks of gross pay at £30,000 a year. No course can promise you a role, so treat that as arithmetic, not an outcome. For a fuller view, read is PLC training worth it in the UK.
Questions to ask before you pay
- Which software version and PLC platform will I learn, and does it match the jobs I want?
- Is the hands-on part real hardware, a cloud lab or simulation?
- Is the credential regulated, and can an employer verify it?
- What is the maximum class size, and how many hours are live?
- What is not included: software, exams, materials, follow-up access?
- What does the provider promise about jobs? Be wary of any promise at all.
Can you learn the basics before spending anything?
Yes, and it is a sensible first step. This 15-minute video from The Engineering Mindset explains what a PLC is and how it works, and free simulators let you practise ladder logic with no install. Free learning will not give you a credential, but it will tell you whether you enjoy the work before you commit £1,000 or more.
How EDWartens can help
The Professional Module is a five-day live online class on Siemens TIA Portal and WinCC, followed or accompanied by 68 self-paced Basic Engineering modules, for £2,140 + VAT (£2,568). You can reserve a seat with a £100 deposit, pay the balance before the course starts, and join a cohort of up to 10 learners starting any Monday. It is CPD accredited (80 credits, The CPD Group), not a regulated qualification, and offers no job promise. See the Professional Module or sign up. To try before you buy, use the free PLC simulator or the free Siemens TIA Portal course. For the wider comparison, read best PLC training in the UK.
