UK · Aged 16 and over, including career changers
Free virtual work experience for engineering (UK)
Yes, you can try an engineering role online for free. An EDWartens job simulation gives you the emails, tickets and project documents of a junior engineer at a simulated company. Days 1 to 5 are free, around ten hours, with every task checked and model answers shown. It is training, not employment or a placement.
The short version
What it is, what is free and what is optional
What it is
Virtual work experience is an online programme that lets you try a job or sector. Ours is a job simulation: one role's project at a simulated company, done day by day. It is not a placement, and your school, college or employer decides what counts.
What is free
Days 1 to 5 of every role: the morning emails, the tickets, the project documents, checking on every task and a model answer. No card is needed to start.
What is optional
A graded, verifiable certificate for £14.99 and the Premium edition (days 1 to 20 with an engineer-reviewed capstone) for £53.99. Both prices include VAT. The matching simulations are included with each paid EDWartens course.
Honest comparison
EDWartens, Springpod, Forage, employers and Bright Network
They suit different people. Forage and Springpod are free, carry employer names and give a free certificate. Ours is narrower, goes deeper on engineering and checks your work. Forage alternatives for engineers goes into more detail.
| Provider | Mainly for | Length | Certificate | Engineering coverage | Hands-on controls or electrical practice | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
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.
Who it is for
16 and over: school, college, apprentices, undergraduates, graduates and career changers
What you want from it changes with your stage. Check each provider's age rules, ours included.
16 and over, at school or sixth form
Use it as evidence of interest for apprenticeship, college and university applications. It supports what you say in a personal statement and does not replace a qualification. If you are under 18, ask a parent, carer or teacher before you sign up.
College students
Use it next to your college course to practise the job the course leads to, with the documents and standards you will meet at work.
Apprentices
Use it to practise tasks your employer may not have given you yet, such as closing out a work order or checking a drawing. It does not replace your on-the-job training or your assessment.
Undergraduates
Use it to fill a gap when a placement is hard to find, or to try a role before you choose a project or a module.
Graduates
Use it to practise a role and have a specific project to discuss in an interview. Describe it as a job simulation under projects or training.
Career changers
Use it to test a new direction before you commit, and to have something concrete to show when you have no engineering job on your CV yet.
Under 16? Our simulations are written for people aged 16 and over. Programmes built for your age include Springpod's, which focuses on 13 to 19, and the Institution of Civil Engineers' on-demand programmes for 14 to 18 (checked 24 October 2026). Springpod virtual work experience
EDWartens
Our 23 roles, by area
Each one is a single role at a simulated company. Every task is checked as you hand it in, with model answers and feedback, and hands-on tasks are finished in EDWartens Lab. Electrical, controls and automation roles sit alongside data and AI.
Automation and controls
PLC, SCADA, commissioning, instruments, robots and OT security.
PLC Programmer
Write the I/O list, program the line, run the FAT and handle a change request.
Commissioning Engineer
Loop checks, I/O checkout, SAT and a punch list on a plant that is nearly ready.
SCADA and HMI Engineer
Build the tag list, alarm list and screens for a live process.
Instrumentation Engineer
Instrument index, datasheets, loop diagrams and calibration on a process plant.
Robotics Engineer
Risk-assess, program and hand over a robot cell.
OT Security Analyst
Asset inventory, zones and conduits, and a remote-access incident at a plant.
Electrical and energy
Design, panels, maintenance, substations, solar, EV and data centres.
Electrical Design Engineer
Load list, single-line diagram, cable sizing and a late design change.
Maintenance Electrical Engineer
Work orders, safe isolation, fault finding and a root-cause report.
Multi-skilled Maintenance Engineer
Mixed faults on a food line, safe isolation, PPM in a CMMS and a reliability plan.
Solar PV and EV Charging Engineer
Size a PV array, test it to IEC 62446 and fit EV chargers on a limited supply.
Data Centre Critical Facilities Engineer
MOPs, change control and a UPS event in a live data hall.
Control Panel Design Engineer
GA drawing, schematics, BOM, heat calculation and the routine test.
Substation and MCC Engineer
Protection settings, relay tests and an inrush trip on a new feeder.
Maintenance Technician
A first month in a moulding plant: isolation with a buddy, first PPMs, a heater fault.
Mechanical Maintenance Engineer
Vibration, alignment, hydraulics, a lift plan and a bearing failure root cause.
Building Services Multi-skilled Engineer
PPM, BMS alarms, water hygiene, fire tests, EICR codes and a 12-month compliance calendar.
AI and data
Data analysis, machine learning, LLM apps and computer vision.
Data Analyst
Clean real-looking data, answer the business question and present it.
AI and LLM Application Engineer
Build and evaluate an LLM assistant, then handle a prompt-injection incident.
Machine Learning Engineer
Train, evaluate and document a model, and catch target leakage.
Computer Vision Engineer
Specify, label and evaluate an inspection model on a production line.
AI Business Analyst
Use AI tools safely for real finance, HR and marketing work.
Quality and projects
Quality engineering and engineering project coordination.
Filter every job simulation by area, experience and starting point
By background
Guides for your starting point
Electrical, career changing, maintenance and the certificate each have a page of their own.
Included with every paid course
Enrol on a course and the matching simulations come with it
Every paid EDWartens UK course includes the Premium edition and certificate for the simulations that match it (Premium is £53.99 including VAT on its own). Nothing extra to buy.
| Course | Simulations included |
|---|---|
| Professional Module | PLC Programmer, SCADA and HMI Engineer, Commissioning Engineer, Maintenance Electrical Engineer, Control Panel Design Engineer, Instrumentation Engineer, Multi-skilled Maintenance Engineer |
| Siemens Module | PLC Programmer, SCADA and HMI Engineer, Commissioning Engineer, Maintenance Electrical Engineer |
| Allen-Bradley Module | PLC Programmer, Commissioning Engineer, Maintenance Technician, Multi-skilled Maintenance Engineer |
| AI Module | Data Analyst, AI and LLM Application Engineer, Machine Learning Engineer, Computer Vision Engineer, AI Business Analyst |
A simulation is training at a simulated company, not employment or a work placement. Compare all courses.
UCAS, apprenticeships and CVs
What to put in a statement or on a CV
Admissions and hiring readers want your reasoning more than a list of certificates. Use the simulation as evidence for something you can explain, and call it a job simulation.
Say what you did
Name the role, the task and the result, and say it was a job simulation at a simulated company. Admissions and hiring readers value accuracy.
Explain your reasoning
Pick one decision, such as refusing to bypass a safety function, and explain why. Reasoning shows more than a list of certificates.
Say what you learned and what is next
Name a gap the project showed you, and what you will do about it. That is honest, and it reads well.
Honest limits
What virtual work experience cannot do
It cannot give you site contact, a supervisor's reference or the feel of a workshop. If a placement is possible, take it. If it is not, a well-chosen simulation plus a project of your own is a sensible way to keep moving.
Read this before you rely on it
The certificate has a public verification page, but it is issued by WARTENS LTD and is not an accredited or regulated qualification. We do not promise a job, an interview or a place. Your school, college or university decides whether it counts as work experience.
Questions
Quick answers
Is this virtual work experience free?
Does virtual work experience count for UCAS or an apprenticeship?
What age do I need to be?
Is this the same as Forage or Springpod?
Can I put it on my CV, and how?
Do I get a certificate?
Is this work experience?
How long does it take?
Does it replace a real placement?
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.
Try an engineering role online
Days 1 to 5 are free. It is training, not a placement.