Upskilling is one of the best things you can do to increase your value on the jobs market. In an industry like automation in particular, where innovation is constant and interest is increasing, building out your skill set is a fantastic way of keeping on top of the latest trends and ensuring you remain competitive as a candidate.
Improving your leadership, management and business knowledge and experience is very useful, but it can be worth building on specific skills relevant to your industry that will catch the eye of potential employers and set you apart from other candidates. In this article, we highlight some of the best technical courses in the automation and control industry for upskilling, helping direct you towards where to get started with your personal development.
EPLAN P8 Course – Platform 2022
EPLAN is a piece of CAD software that is frequently used by Electrical Design Engineers and the EPLAN P8 system can be used across a range of sectors to create control system documentation and optimise features across a range of systems. The EPLAN P8 Course – Platform 2022 is the most up to date training course that focuses on using the Platform 2022 version of the software, specifically training users to understand and master the Electric P8 system to create engineering schematics, data and circuit diagrams.
Several online tutorials and training courses take you through using this software, but EPLAN also hosts their own training courses that allow you to learn how to get the most out of the software. These courses are currently hosted virtually and can be completed over 2-5 days depending on the session you choose. You can find available course dates and more information about the content of these training sessions here.
EPLAN Pro Panel – Platform 2022
Another incredibly valuable EPLAN training course is their Pro Panel – Platform 2022 course, which offers an introduction to using their panel building software. This is a course that is particularly valuable to Electrical Design Engineers wanting to get to grips with this kind of software that is frequently used for 2D and 3D design of a range of switchgear systems and control panels.
You can undergo a full four days of introductory training as part of the official EPLAN Pro Panel course, or take a one day course to learn process wiring, which are both currently being run virtually. You can find more information on both of these courses here.
AutoCAD Electrical training
Another fantastic way that Electrical Design Engineers in the automation and control industry can upskill is to undertake training in AutoCAD Electrical. This industry-specific toolset produced by Autodesk is used to design, create and adapt electrical control systems, and demonstrating proficiency with this kind of software will be incredibly useful when applying for electrical design jobs in a range of sectors.
There are a range of different training courses available for AutoCAD Electrical, from multi-day courses by accredited providers to virtual training offered by platforms like LinkedIn Learning. We recommend choosing a course that has been accredited by Autodesk to ensure that the guidance and advice you are given is up to date, and also because the qualification you receive from the course will hold more weight.
TIA Portal Programming Level 1 (TIA-PRO1) and Level 2 (TIA-PRO2)
A great upskilling course for Software or Control Engineers is TIA Portal Programming Level 1 or Level 2, which teaches you how to use the integrated engineering environment for SIMATIC STEP 7 and SIMATIC WinCC engineering tools.
In Level 1 (TIA-PRO1) you’ll get an introduction to handling the TIA Portal and SIMATIC S7 automation system, as well as instruction on PLC programming with this software. In Level 2 (TIA-PRO2) you build on this knowledge and learn about processing and analysing complex data types, statement lists (STL) and Structured Control Language (SCL) operations, build on your PLC programming skills and learn to display messages on the HMI.
Siemens offer both of these courses as in-person and online training, with the in-person sessions lasting five days. You can find out more about TIA-PRO1 here and TIA-PRO2 here.
TÜV Rheinland Functional Safety
The Functional Safety Training Program from TÜV Rheinland includes a wide range of different courses that provide valuable training and insight for those working in industrial automation and control. They have programs aimed at both engineers and technicians that provide valuable safety training and advice in the safe design, installation and use of a range of systems, all accredited by TÜV Rheinland.
This training program is available worldwide and offered by 30 different companies, whose courses have been assessed and approved by TÜV Rheinland. These training courses are held both in-person and online depending on the location and the provider, and a full list of the available training and course content can be found here.
Certified Machine Safety Expert (CMSE®)
Certified Machinery Safety Expert is a globally recognised qualification that you can gain by completing a training course run by Pilz and TUV NORD. It’s a really useful course for automation and control engineers who work with machinery or in environments with industrial machinery, providing a thorough understanding of safely working with and around this technology.
CMSE® training is available worldwide and delivered both in online and in-person sessions direct from the provider. You can view course dates and availability here.
HAZOP Training
Another incredibly useful safety course for Systems Engineers who work in the control and automation industry is HAZOP Training. Hazard and Operability Analysis (HAZOP) is a standardised technique for examining systems, identifying potential hazards or operability problems and managing risks, and training courses in this discipline give candidates a good understanding of the official methodology and experience in using the approach to assess system safety.
HAZOP is a methodology as opposed to a specific qualification, so there is a range of different training courses available that offer varying levels of detail and guidance about how best to use the approach to manage risk and reduce hazards. The TÜV HAZOP Leader course is the only one certified by an official accredited body, but many of the other online courses will still give you a good understanding of the methodology and help to widen your skill set.
Summary
Focusing on improving your soft skills as part of personal development can be a worthwhile use of your time. But candidates working in automation and control can also really benefit from upskilling by undertaking specific training courses to gain technical qualifications that will give them more experience and authority in their careers. The above list is a great place to start when it comes to building out your skills and standing out from others in the jobs market, as well as keeping up to date with the latest technology and standards used in the industry.
If you’re an engineering candidate seeking advice and insight into what employers are looking for in the automation and control systems industry, Samuel Frank Associates can help. We’re a specialist recruitment agency that helps our candidates thrive in their careers, so why not get in touch and speak to a member of our team about how we can make a difference.