Learning path · 4 courses
PLC foundations
One PLC from scratch, the networks it talks over, the HMI on the door and the panel it lives in. The four things a maintenance engineer meets on day one.
In order
The courses
Take them in this order. Each one is free and stands on its own.
- Siemens TIA PortalPLC programming · Beginner · 28 hoursStart free
- Industrial Communication: Serial, Fieldbus, Ethernet, Modbus, PROFINET and OPC UAIndustrial networks · Intermediate · 23 hoursStart free
- HMI Design and Programming: Siemens WinCC and FactoryTalk View MEHMI · Beginner · 18 hoursStart free
- Electrical Control Panel Design, Building and TestingElectrical · Beginner · 9 hoursStart free
Practise as you learn
Watching is a start. Do it in the Lab, free.
The EDWartens Lab runs in your browser, with nothing to install. It is a practice environment, not the vendors' own software.
- Build ladder, SFC and structured text programs
- Go online and watch power flow through each rung
- Force inputs and outputs and see the machine respond
Then
Practise the job and find one
- PLC Programmer job simulation
Write the I/O list, program the line, run the FAT and handle a change request. Days 1 to 5 are free.
- PLC and automation jobs in the UK
Live jobs, updated daily. Free to browse and apply.
- EDWartens Lab
Free browser simulators to practise what each course teaches.
Questions
PLC foundations: common questions
Is the PLC foundations path free?
Yes. All 4 courses are free: every lesson, quiz and final exam costs nothing. A verifiable certificate for a course is optional, at £19 including VAT once you pass its final exam. It is a certificate of completion, not a regulated qualification.
How long does it take?
About 78 hours of video across 4 courses, plus quizzes. At five hours a week that is roughly 16 weeks, and you can start or stop any course whenever you like.
Do I need hardware or paid software?
No PLC hardware is needed. Each course page lists the software it uses; most run in free or trial versions, and many have practice in the browser-based EDWartens Lab.
What can it lead to?
Practise the job itself with the free PLC Programmer job simulation (the first five days are free, no card), then browse live UK PLC and automation jobs. Neither is a promise of a job.