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Siemens Module · TIA Portal and S7

Learn the Siemens skills UK controls adverts ask for

Program S7-1200 and S7-1500 PLCs, build WinCC screens, set up PROFINET and SINAMICS drives, find faults and commission a line with a test script. 69 lessons, a browser lab to practise in, 4 graded projects for your portfolio and four job simulators, all at your own pace for 12 months.

Buy now, £780See the curriculum

£780 including VAT

£650 + VAT for businesses

One payment, no deposit. Every lesson opens the day you pay.

  • 69 lessons, 13 modules
  • 4 graded projects
  • EDWartens Lab practice
  • 4 job simulators included
  • Certificate of completion

Is it for you?

Built for people who want to work on Siemens systems

Be honest with yourself about what you need. This course is strong for some people and the wrong choice for others.

This course suits you if you are

  • An electrician or maintenance technician who wants to move into PLC and controls work
  • A graduate or career changer who wants a structured, practical route into controls engineering
  • An engineer who knows another PLC brand and needs Siemens TIA Portal for a new role
  • Someone who learns best at their own pace and wants to repeat any lesson as often as they like
  • A PLC beginner who wants to see the whole job, from addressing and wiring to commissioning, not only ladder logic

Choose something else if you want

  • Live classes with an instructor every day. For that, take the Professional Module, our five-day live course
  • An official Siemens certificate or a regulated qualification. This course gives neither
  • To wire and test real hardware. You practise in simulation in our lab, not on a physical rig
  • A promise of a job. Nobody honest can give one, and we do not

Why this skill

Siemens skills appear in UK controls adverts every day

Most people who want a controls job have the same problem: adverts ask for experience on specific platforms, and there is nowhere cheap to practise them.

  • £60,000

    median advertised salary for UK PLC engineer roles

    ITJobsWatch, as of 21 October 2026, from 144 adverts with salaries. Source

  • 11.1%

    of UK PLC engineer adverts name Siemens (Rockwell: 4.9%)

    ITJobsWatch, six months to 23 October 2026.

  • 135

    trainee PLC jobs listed on Reed

    Reed, as of 21 October 2026. Source

Typical adverts name TIA Portal and S7-1200 or S7-1500 first, then WinCC, then commissioning, FAT and SAT, and site travel. Senior roles add PROFINET, SINAMICS drives and PROFIsafe. That is the order this course teaches them in.

The course is built around what the job asks you to do: read a drawing, set up the hardware, write clean logic, add an operator screen, bring a drive online, find a fault under pressure and hand over a documented system.

These are advertised figures, not what a newly trained person will be paid. Adverts with salaries mostly ask for experience; entry roles advertise lower (£25,000–£30,000 for graduate and trainee roles, £30,000–£40,000 for junior controls/PLC engineers, Reed, 21 October 2026). ITJobsWatch counts IT-focused adverts, with small samples. We do not promise a job or any level of pay.

What classroom training costs. Siemens' own SITRAIN UK listed its five-day TIA Portal Programming 1 course at £2,930 when we checked on 23 October 2026 (VAT not stated). SITRAIN UK. The Siemens Module is £780 including VAT. They are different things: SITRAIN is official classroom training; ours is self-paced and independent, so check what you need.

What you get

Skills, practice and proof, for a fraction of classroom cost

The skills UK adverts list

TIA Portal, S7-1200 and S7-1500, WinCC, PROFINET, SINAMICS drives, safety, commissioning, FAT and SAT: taught in the order the job needs them.

Practise as you learn, with nothing to buy

Almost every lesson ends with a task in the EDWartens Lab in your browser, in a Siemens-style view. No licence, no install, no PC that has to meet vendor specifications.

Four graded projects for your portfolio

A conveyor line, a pumping station with an HMI, a packaging line with a drive and a safety zone, and a capstone with a commissioning pack.

Fault-finding, not only programming

A whole module on diagnostics and a structured method, because fixing a stopped line is half the job.

Networks, drives and safety included

PROFINET, SINAMICS G120 and functional safety are modules, not footnotes, so you can follow the conversation on a real project.

A fraction of classroom vendor-course prices

£780 including VAT for 13 modules and 12 months you can repeat. Classroom vendor courses are priced per few days.

Four job simulators included

Work as a PLC programmer, SCADA and HMI engineer, commissioning engineer and maintenance electrical engineer at simulated UK companies.

The UK job board, with alerts

Real adverts from UK employers, job alerts and an application tracker, so your search is organised from day one.

A certificate employers can check

A certificate of completion with a number and QR code that links to its verification page.

After the course

What you will be able to do

  • Set up a Siemens CPU and I/O in the device view, assign addresses and tags, and get online over PROFINET
  • Write ladder logic with timers, counters, edges and the interlocks every starter circuit needs
  • Structure a program with OBs, FCs, FBs and data blocks, and build a reusable motor block
  • Write SCL, scale 4-20 mA signals and set up a PID_Compact loop
  • Design a sequence on paper and build it as a state machine with modes, timeouts and fault handling
  • Build operator screens with alarms, trends and recipes in WinCC
  • Bring a SINAMICS drive online and read its control and status words
  • Find faults with the diagnostics buffer, watch and force tables used safely, trace and compare
  • Run an I/O checkout, write a FAT and SAT test script and prepare a handover pack

How you learn

Every lesson ends with you doing it

Watching is not learning to program. Each lesson has the same four steps, so you always know what to do next.

  1. Step 1

    Watch

    A curated video lesson, chosen to teach the point clearly and checked before it goes in.

  2. Step 2

    Read

    Our own notes, written for UK sites: what to remember, what goes wrong, and what to check first.

  3. Step 3

    Check

    A short practice quiz tells you straight away whether it has stuck. A longer gate test closes each module.

  4. Step 4

    Practise

    A lab task in the EDWartens Lab, in a Siemens-style view, so you do it rather than only watch it.

Curriculum

13 modules, from your first project to commissioning

Open a module to see what it covers. Every lesson has notes, a quiz and a lab task.

Module 1Orientation: the UK controls engineer and the Siemens platform

What controls engineers do on UK sites, how a PLC thinks, the SIMATIC family, a tour of TIA Portal and how to practise legally.

  1. What a controls engineer does on a UK site
  2. How a PLC works: the scan cycle and process images
  3. The SIMATIC family: S7-1200 (incl. G2), S7-1500, ET 200SP and HMI panels
  4. A tour of TIA Portal: portal view, project view and the project tree
  5. Setting up to practise: the EDWartens Lab, the TIA Portal trial and PLCSIM

5 lessons, each with notes and a quiz, most with a lab task, then a gate test.

Module 2Hardware configuration, addressing and tags

Wire-side basics, a CPU and I/O in the device view, address areas, tag tables and getting online over PROFINET.

  1. Electrical basics for PLC engineers: 24 V DC, sinking and sourcing, PNP and NPN sensors
  2. Device view: a CPU, signal modules and an ET 200SP station
  3. Address areas: %I, %Q and %M, bits, bytes, words and double words
  4. PLC tag tables, symbolic names and naming conventions
  5. IP addresses, PROFINET device names, download and going online

5 lessons, each with notes and a quiz, most with a lab task, then a gate test.

Module 3Ladder logic fundamentals (LAD)

The seal-in, set and reset, edges, IEC timers and counters, maths and the interlocks every starter circuit needs.

  1. Contacts, coils and the seal-in circuit
  2. Set, reset and edge detection (P_TRIG, N_TRIG, R_TRIG)
  3. IEC timers: TON, TOF, TP and TONR with instance data
  4. Counters (CTU, CTD, CTUD) and comparison instructions
  5. Move, maths and conversion instructions
  6. Interlocks and permissives: forward-reverse and star-delta

6 lessons, each with notes and a quiz, most with a lab task, then a gate test.

Module 4Program structure: OBs, FCs, FBs and data blocks

Organisation blocks, functions and function blocks, global and instance DBs, PLC data types, a reusable motor block and programming standards.

  1. Organisation blocks: OB1, start-up OB100 and cyclic interrupts
  2. Functions (FC) and function blocks (FB): when to use each
  3. Global and instance data blocks, optimised and standard access
  4. Data types, PLC data types (UDTs) and arrays
  5. Building a reusable motor FB with multi-instances
  6. Programming standards, comments and the cross-reference

6 lessons, each with notes and a quiz, most with a lab task, then a gate test.

Module 5SCL and analogue handling

Structured Control Language from first assignment to CASE, 4-20 mA scaling, signal alarms, PID_Compact and reading legacy STL.

  1. SCL basics: assignments, expressions and the editor
  2. IF, CASE, FOR and WHILE in SCL
  3. Analogue signals: 4-20 mA, raw counts, NORM_X and SCALE_X
  4. Limits, filtering and signal-quality alarms
  5. PID_Compact: setting up a loop and basic tuning
  6. Reading legacy code: STL and S7-300/400 migrations

6 lessons, each with notes and a quiz, most with a lab task, then a gate test.

Module 6Sequences and state machines

Design a sequence on paper, build it as a state machine, add modes, timeouts, fault handling and first-out alarms.

  1. Designing a sequence: state diagrams and GRAFCET thinking
  2. A step sequence in LAD and an SCL CASE state machine
  3. Auto, manual and maintenance modes
  4. Fault handling, timeouts and reset logic
  5. Alarm logic and first-out detection

5 lessons, each with notes and a quiz, most with a lab task, then a gate test.

Module 7HMI and WinCC

Panels, connections and HMI tags, operator-friendly screens, alarms, trends, recipes, users and WinCC Unified.

  1. HMI families: Basic, Comfort and WinCC Unified panels
  2. Connecting an HMI to the PLC: connections and HMI tags
  3. Screen design for operators: layout, navigation and high-performance style
  4. Alarms: discrete, analogue, classes and acknowledgement
  5. Trends, recipes and user administration
  6. WinCC Unified and SCADA concepts for site systems

6 lessons, each with notes and a quiz, most with a lab task, then a gate test.

Module 8PROFINET and industrial networks

PROFINET IO, device names and IP plans, ring redundancy and remote I/O, other fieldbuses, and finding network faults.

  1. PROFINET IO: controllers, devices, RT and IRT
  2. Topology, device names and IP planning
  3. Ring redundancy (MRP), switches and remote I/O
  4. PROFIBUS, Modbus TCP and talking to other systems
  5. Diagnosing network faults

5 lessons, each with notes and a quiz, most with a lab task, then a gate test.

Module 9Drives and motion basics

Why drives, SINAMICS G120 commissioning, telegrams with control and status words, setpoints, faults and motion concepts.

  1. Variable-speed drives: V/f and vector control in plain English
  2. SINAMICS G120: commissioning flow and key parameters
  3. Telegrams, control word and status word over PROFINET
  4. Speed setpoints, ramps and drive faults
  5. Servo and motion concepts: axes and technology objects

5 lessons, each with notes and a quiz, most with a lab task, then a gate test.

Module 10Functional safety

UK machinery safety law, safety functions and stop categories, performance levels, Safety Integrated, reset and validation.

  1. UK machinery safety law: PUWER, supply of machinery and risk assessment
  2. Safety functions: e-stops, guards, light curtains and stop categories
  3. BS EN ISO 13849-1 performance levels and IEC 62061 in plain English
  4. Safety Integrated: F-CPUs, PROFIsafe and fail-safe programs
  5. Reset, acknowledgement and validation

5 lessons, each with notes and a quiz, most with a lab task, then a gate test.

Module 11Diagnostics and fault-finding

A method that finds faults fast: diagnostics buffer and LEDs, watch and force tables used safely, trace, compare and handover notes.

  1. A structured fault-finding method for PLC systems
  2. The diagnostics buffer, LEDs and module status
  3. Watch tables, force tables and their risks
  4. Trace and comparing online and offline
  5. Fault logs, handover notes and working safely on a running plant

5 lessons, each with notes and a quiz, most with a lab task, then a gate test.

Module 12Commissioning, FAT/SAT and documentation

What FAT and SAT prove, I/O checkout, test scripts and sign-off, backups and version control, and the handover pack.

  1. FAT and SAT: what each one proves
  2. I/O checkout and loop testing
  3. Functional test scripts and sign-off
  4. Backups, version control and change control
  5. The handover pack: O&M manual, as-builts and operator training

5 lessons, each with notes and a quiz, most with a lab task, then a gate test.

Module 13Job readiness and capstone

Read UK Siemens adverts, put the course honestly on your CV, build a portfolio, answer the interview questions, and sit the final.

  1. Reading UK Siemens job adverts
  2. Your Siemens skills on a UK CV, honestly
  3. Building your portfolio from the course projects
  4. Siemens interview questions and how to answer them
  5. Site life: safety, cards, contract or permanent, and your first 90 days

5 lessons, each with notes and a quiz, most with a lab task, then the final exam.

4 projectsGraded projects, including a capstone
  • Warehouse conveyor line (after module 4)
  • Water pumping station with HMI (after module 7)
  • Food packaging line with drive and safety zone (after module 10)
  • Capstone: air handling unit and commissioning pack (after module 13)

About 90 hours of lessons, notes, quizzes, lab tasks and tests, plus about 55 hours for the four projects. Each module ends with a 15-question gate test (70% to pass). The final exam has 50 questions (70% to pass).

EDWartens Lab

Practise in the EDWartens Lab as you learn

Our own browser lab gives you a simulated PLC, control panel and process to work on. In the Siemens-style view it uses Siemens-style names (networks, OB1 Main, %I0.0 addresses, IEC timer instances and SCL) so what you learn transfers. It is not TIA Portal and does not replace it. Try the lab free, any time.

EDWartens Lab PLC editor: a motor start/stop ladder program running online beside the simulated PLC and the I/O list
Write ladder logic and run it against a simulated PLC.
EDWartens Lab: a 3D view of a motor and tanks with the operator station, the I/O list and the online PLC panel
Watch your logic drive a simulated plant.
EDWartens Lab: fault-finding inside a control panel with a multimeter on the terminals
Find faults the way you would on site.
See the Lab Open the free PLC lab

Projects

Four projects you can show an employer

Each project is a small version of real work, with a brief, a lab task and a rubric. You finish with evidence, not just a certificate.

  1. Project 1 · after module 4

    Warehouse conveyor line

    Three conveyors with sensors, jam detection and an e-stop, built with a reusable motor function block.

    You hand in: the reusable motor FB, a tag table and an I/O list.

  2. Project 2 · after module 7

    Water pumping station with HMI

    A duty and standby pumping station with SCL level scaling and an HMI with alarms.

    You hand in: the program, the HMI screens and an alarm list.

  3. Project 3 · after module 10

    Food packaging line with drive and safety zone

    An infeed, filler and sealer with VFD speed control, a safety zone and auto and manual modes.

    You hand in: a sequence diagram, the program, the drive control and a safety description.

  4. Capstone · after module 13

    Capstone: air handling unit and commissioning pack

    An air handling unit with temperature and pressure control, then a commissioning pack with a mock FAT and SAT.

    You hand in: the program, the HMI, a FAT and SAT report, a fault log and a short walkthrough.

Projects are marked against a rubric you can read before you start. The first pass is AI-assisted; our engineers review it and can change the result. 70 out of 100 passes, 75 for the capstone. If you fall short you get feedback on what to change.

Included job simulators

Four job simulators, included

Do the job before you apply. Each simulation puts you in a simulated UK workplace with a morning email, tickets, documents and colleagues, and builds the habits an employer looks for.

  • The workplace of the simulated company in the PLC Programmer job simulation
    Start in the workplace, with the team around you.
  • The Today screen of the PLC Programmer job simulation: the morning email and the day's tickets
    Today: the morning email and your tickets for the day.
  • A ticket in the PLC Programmer job simulation with its brief and acceptance points
    A ticket, written the way a colleague would write it.

Screenshots from the simulator. Company, people and data are fictional. Portraits are AI-generated.

The 4 simulations that come with the Siemens Module

Each simulation is sold separately: the Premium edition (days 6 to 20, an engineer-reviewed capstone and a viva) is £53.99 including VAT. With this course you get Premium and its certificate for these roles at no extra charge. The companies are simulated; a simulation is training, not employment or a work placement.

See all job simulations What Premium adds

Job support

Help to turn the skills into applications

The last module teaches you to read UK Siemens adverts, put the course honestly on your CV, build a portfolio and answer the interview questions. Then the portal helps you search.

The UK job board

Automation and controls adverts from UK employers, refreshed daily, with visa-sponsor licences marked.

Job alerts

Tell us the roles and places you want, and new matches come to you.

An application tracker

Keep every application, date and next step in one place.

Module 13: job readiness

Honest CV wording, a portfolio, interview questions and how UK recruitment works.

The job board lists real vacancies. We cannot promise an interview or a job, and we do not quote placement rates.

Look at the UK job board

Your certificate

Proof you can show an employer

You earn a certificate of completion from Wartens Ltd when you have done all of these:

  • Pass all 12 module gate tests and the final exam
  • Pass all 4 graded projects (70 out of 100, or 75 for the capstone)

It is a certificate of completion, not a regulated qualification, not CPD-accredited and not a Siemens certification. It does not guarantee a job. Employers can check any certificate at edwartens.co.uk/verify.

Sample certificate of completion from Wartens Ltd, marked SAMPLE, in the name of Sample Learner
Sample certificate. Yours shows your name, date and a unique verification code.

Price and payment

£780 including VAT, everything included

One price. No extra charges for the portal, the career support or the certificate.

One price

£780

including VAT (£650 + £130 VAT)

How you pay
In full, once

£65.00 per month of access, if you use all 12 months.

That is about 1.0 weeks of the UK median full-time gross pay of £39,039 (ONS ASHE 2025, provisional).

Those are sums from our own price and a national average. They say nothing about what you will earn.

What the fee covers

  • 69 lessons in 13 modules. Recorded lessons, each with notes, a practice quiz and a lab task, open to you from the day you pay.
  • Gate tests and the final exam. A test at the end of every module and a final exam.
  • 4 graded projects. Marked against a published rubric, with feedback on what to change.
  • Lab practice. The EDWartens Lab, in a Siemens-style view, for almost every lesson.
  • Four job simulators. The Premium edition and its certificate for each of the four roles.
  • Job board, alerts and tracker. For the whole of your access.
  • Questions to a trainer. From any lesson, throughout your access.
  • Certificate of completion. Issued automatically when every test and all four projects are passed.

Not included: your computer and internet connection, and real TIA Portal licences. We show you the legal trial routes and how to use them. Lessons stream from their creators' YouTube channels; the study plan, notes, quizzes, tests, projects and grading are ours.

Pay in full: £780

Includes VAT (£650 + VAT). By debit or credit card through Stripe; we never see your card details. The whole course opens straight away.

One payment, no deposit

This course is paid in full, once. Your 12 months' access starts on the day you pay, and every lesson is open from that day.

Employer paying?

We can send a VAT invoice; the payment terms on the invoice apply. Contact us with the company's details before you enrol. A VAT-registered employer can usually reclaim the VAT.

This is a private course. It is not eligible for Advanced Learner Loans or Skills Bootcamp funding; see fees and payment.

Your 14-day right to cancel

  • If you buy as a consumer, you can cancel within 14 days of the day we confirm your booking, without giving a reason, and we refund what you paid.
  • Siemens and Allen-Bradley Modules: the lessons are digital content that opens as soon as you pay, so at checkout you ask for access straight away. If you cancel within 14 days and have not opened any lesson, you get everything back. Once you open a lesson, the right to cancel ends.

The full rules are in the cancellations and refunds policy and the Siemens and Allen-Bradley Module terms. Nothing here affects your legal rights.

Start today

Pay once and the whole course opens straight away: every lesson, the lab, your four job simulators and the job board. 12 months' access.

Ask us a question first

Prices include VAT. Changed your mind? You have 14 days to cancel if you have not opened a lesson. Course terms · Cancellations and refunds

Course facts

The practical details

Delivery
Self-paced online learning: recorded lessons, notes, quizzes and the browser lab in the student portal. There are no live classes.
Start
Start the day you enrol
Access period
12 months from the day you pay. Every lesson is open from day one; module gate tests are taken in order.
Duration
About 90 hours of lessons and tests plus about 55 hours of projects. At 6 hours a week that is about six months; at 10 hours, three to four.
Requirements
A computer or laptop with a current browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari) and a broadband connection. The lab works best on a larger screen. No PLC experience needed.
Software
None to buy. You practise in the EDWartens Lab in your browser. Siemens has offered time-limited trials of TIA Portal through its Siemens Industry Online Support site, and the course shows you how to find the current terms and when to start a trial clock. Check Siemens' terms, which change.
Assessment
A 15-question gate test per module, a 50-question final exam and 4 graded projects
Certificate
A certificate of completion from Wartens Ltd with a verification code and QR code. It is not a regulated qualification and not CPD-accredited.

Questions

Questions people ask before enrolling

How is the course delivered?
It is self-paced and online. You study recorded lessons, notes and quizzes in the EDWartens UK student portal and practise in the browser lab whenever suits you, for 12 months from the day you pay. There are no live classes. You can ask a trainer a question from any lesson.
Do I need PLC or programming experience?
No. Module 1 starts with how a PLC thinks and what controls engineers do on UK sites, and Module 2 covers the basics of hardware and addressing. A little electrical or mechanical background helps, and you need to be comfortable with a computer.
How many hours a week will it take?
About 90 hours of lessons, notes, quizzes, lab tasks and tests, plus about 55 hours for the four projects. At 6 hours a week most people finish in about six months; at 10 hours, in three to four. You have 12 months.
Are the lessons your own videos?
Many of the lesson videos are published by their creators on YouTube and stream from there, credited on each lesson. What we write is the study plan, the notes, the quizzes, the tests, the lab tasks, the projects and the grading, and a trainer answers your questions. If a video is removed, we replace it with one that teaches the same thing. If you want only original filmed lessons, this is not the course for you.
Can I use the real TIA Portal?
You practise in our browser lab, which uses Siemens-style names but is not TIA Portal. Real TIA Portal licences are not included. Siemens has offered time-limited trials through its Siemens Industry Online Support site; the course shows you how to find the current terms and suggests starting a trial only when you reach the module that needs it. Terms change, so check Siemens' site.
Is it recognised? Is it a Siemens certificate?
No. It is a certificate of completion from Wartens Ltd, with a number and a QR code that links to its verification page. It is not a Siemens certification, not a regulated qualification and not CPD-accredited. What employers can see is what you can do: your projects, your job simulation records and your answers at interview.
I am on a visa. Can I still take it?
You can study from anywhere. Whether you can work in the UK depends on your immigration status, which we cannot advise on, and every employer checks the right to work. Our job board marks employers that hold a visa-sponsor licence, and the job-readiness module explains what to ask an employer.
What if I do not get a job?
We cannot promise a job, an interview or any level of pay, and we do not quote placement rates. The course gives you the skills, four projects for a portfolio, job simulation records, a job board with alerts and a tracker, and a module on applications and interviews. If you change your mind within 14 days and have not opened a lesson, you get a full refund. Your access lasts 12 months, so you can keep practising while you apply.
How is this different from the Professional Module?
The Professional Module is five live, instructor-led days on Siemens TIA Portal (PLC, HMI and WinCC SCADA), in a group of up to 10, for £2,568 including VAT. The Siemens Module is self-paced and goes wider and deeper: 13 modules including networks, drives, safety, fault-finding and commissioning, for £780 including VAT. Some people take both.
What does the price cover, and can my employer pay?
£780 including VAT (£650 + VAT) covers 12 months' access to every lesson, the lab, the tests, grading of your four projects, four job simulators, the job board and the certificate. You pay once, in full. Employers can ask for a VAT invoice.
Can I cancel or get a refund?
Yes, within 14 days for a full refund if you have not opened any lesson. Once you open a lesson the right to cancel the digital content ends, as you agree at checkout. The detail is in the course terms and the refunds policy.
Three engineers looking at a laptop in an automation workshop

Start building real Siemens skills today

£780 including VAT, one payment, 12 months' access. Open your first lesson straight away, and cancel within 14 days if you have not opened one.

Buy now, £780Book a call

Independence and trademarks

Siemens, SIMATIC, TIA Portal, WinCC and SINAMICS are trademarks of Siemens AG. PROFINET is a registered trademark of PROFIBUS Nutzerorganisation e.V.

EDWartens is independent and not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by the companies named above. The certificate is issued by Wartens Ltd. It is not CPD-accredited. This is a private course, not a regulated qualification, and it does not guarantee a job or an interview.

Buy now, £780Curriculum