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Compare · Checked 24 October 2026

Forage alternatives for engineers: hands-on options (UK)

Forage is free and well known. It is the better choice for a big employer name or a finance or consulting simulation. Its simulations are short, and for PLC, SCADA or maintenance work we found none on 24 October 2026. This page compares Forage, Springpod, Bright Network and EDWartens fairly.

See the comparison Job simulation or virtual work experience?

Side by side

Forage, Springpod, Bright Network and EDWartens

Facts about other providers are from their own pages and sitemaps, dated below. We are one of the providers compared, so read our column with that in mind.

EDWartens compared with Springpod, Forage, employer programmes and Bright Network, checked 24 October 2026
Provider	Mainly for	Length	Certificate	Engineering coverage	Hands-on controls or electrical practice	Access
Forage	Open sign-up. Software, data and finance dominate the catalogue	30 minutes to 5 hours, self-paced	Free on completion. Optional assessment, no grades	A few: GE Aerospace, Siemens Mobility, Johnson & Johnson, British Airways, LJA, Engineers Without Borders UK	No PLC, SCADA, commissioning, maintenance or instrumentation simulation found	Self-paced, all year
Springpod	School and college age, with a focus on 13 to 19. Some programmes have regional limits	Varies by programme	Free certificate on completion	About 20 engineering programmes (Siemens, JLR, Network Rail and others). None found on PLC or maintenance trades	None found for controls or electrical practice	Employer-run programmes. Check each one
EDWartens job simulation	Aged 16 and over, including adults and career changers	One role's project. Days 1 to 5 free (about ten hours); Premium runs to day 20	Optional, £14.99 inc VAT. Graded, with a public verification page. Not accredited	Electrical, controls, PLC, SCADA, maintenance, commissioning and more, set at simulated UK companies	Yes: tasks are finished in EDWartens Lab and every task is checked, with a model answer	Open all year, self-paced, no application
Bright Network Internship Experience UK	UK university students aged 18 and over	Four days. The 2026 run was 15 to 18 June	Not covered in our research	A Technology and Engineering stream (Google, Lloyds, JLR and others)	Not covered in our research	Once a year, with an application window. Free
Employer programmes (for example Siemens, Airbus, BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce)	Varies. Often school, college or undergraduate age	Varies	Varies. Check each programme	Strong employer brands in their own fields	Not found to be hands-on controls practice	Seasonal and application-based, often through Springpod. Capacity is limited

Checked 24 October 2026. Facts about other providers come from their own sites and sitemaps as we read them on that date, may be incomplete and change. Check the provider before you decide. "None found" means we did not find one, not that none exists. We have not used any provider's logo.

Fair is fair

When Forage is the better choice

Pick by what you need. These are real advantages we do not have.

You want a big employer name

Forage simulations carry the employer's brand and are written with the employer. Ours are set at fictional companies on purpose.

You want finance, consulting, software or data

These dominate Forage's catalogue. We have fewer data and AI roles.

You want a free certificate

Forage's certificate is free on completion (checked 24 October 2026). Ours costs £14.99.

You have an hour or two

Forage simulations can take from 30 minutes to 5 hours. Our free week is around ten hours.

EDWartens

When an EDWartens job simulation fits better

Our simulation is a different thing: one role's project over a week or more, rather than a short employer-branded task set.

You want PLC, SCADA, commissioning or maintenance

We found no Forage simulation for these on 24 October 2026. We have PLC Programmer, SCADA and HMI, Commissioning, Instrumentation and four maintenance roles.

You want checked work, not just a certificate

Every task is checked as you hand it in, with a model answer and why. Forage describes its assessment as optional.

You want hands-on controls or electrical practice

Hands-on tickets are finished in EDWartens Lab: lock out and prove dead, wire a starter, program a PLC, then upload your FAT sheet.

You are an adult or a career changer

The simulations are written for 16 and over and for people with no engineering job to point to.

Engineering job simulations · Free virtual work experience for engineering · Job simulation certificate: is it worth it?

Checked 24 October 2026

The engineering simulations we found at Forage

The engineering simulations we found in Forage's sitemap on 24 October 2026: GE Aerospace (Explore Engineering and Explore Electrical Engineering), Siemens Mobility (Operations and Industrial Engineering), Johnson & Johnson (Robotics and Controls, 3 to 4 hours), British Airways (Engineering, 2 to 3 hours), LJA (civil) and Engineers Without Borders UK. The sitemap may be incomplete, so check Forage's own catalogue.

Check before you rely on it

Catalogues change. Look at Forage and Springpod yourself. We do not use either provider's logo and are not connected to them.

Questions

Quick answers

Is Forage worth it?

For many people, yes. It is free, short and carries employer names. Whether it is worth your time depends on the job you want. For hardware engineering such as PLC or maintenance, its catalogue was thin when we checked.

Does a Forage certificate count as work experience?

No simulation is a placement. As we read it, Forage's own advice is to list simulations under certifications or extracurriculars rather than work experience; check Forage's current guidance. We say the same about ours: list it as a job simulation, not as employment.

Does Forage have PLC simulations?

We found none on 24 October 2026. We found no SCADA, commissioning, maintenance-electrician or instrumentation simulation either. Forage's engineering list is short and includes GE Aerospace, Siemens Mobility, Johnson & Johnson and British Airways.

Which is best for a trade or controls role?

One where the tasks are close to the job and someone or something checks your work. For PLC, electrical and maintenance roles, that points to a hands-on simulation such as ours. For a big employer name, Forage or Springpod.

Is EDWartens free?

Days 1 to 5 of every simulation are free, with no card. The certificate is optional at £14.99 and Premium at £53.99, both including VAT. Forage and Springpod certificates are free.

Forage or Springpod?

Springpod is aimed at school and college age and runs employer programmes, with some regional limits. Forage is self-paced and open to anyone who signs up. For under 16s, Springpod; for adults, Forage or a role-specific simulation.

A job simulation is a realistic training project at a simulated company. It is not employment, an internship or a work placement, and it is not a job offer. Hours are active hours the learner logged on EDWartens UK.

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Try a role for free

Days 1 to 5 cost nothing. Decide about the certificate later.

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