A PLC internship online should leave you able to read a ladder program, write a small one and explain how a machine is started, stopped and made safe. Ours runs for 8 learning weeks, and the first 4 are the Free internship. Below are the real week titles, what you do in each, and where the limits are.
One fact about our own programme, so you can judge everything here fairly. The EDWartens internships are a training programme, not employment. The Free internship is 4 weeks, online and self-paced, with all four weeks open on day 1. It has lesson cards and a weekly check. You also work in the Virtual Workplace, a simulated plant or office with AI colleagues, and AI marks your hand-ins. There is no stipend, and we do not promise a job, an interview or a placement.
Week 1: What a PLC is
You start with the basics. What a PLC is, how it differs from a relay panel, how to wire a simple input and an output, how the scan cycle works, and how to work safely. By the end you can say what a PLC does in plain words and follow a very small program. The first week ends with a short check, and you meet the team on induction day in the Virtual Workplace.
Week 2: Ladder logic basics
This is where you start to write. You read and write ladder rungs, choose a data type, name tags clearly, and build the most common circuit in industry: a start and stop seal-in. You also use a one-shot. The exercise runs on a free simulator, so you can see the rung turn green as you test it.
Week 3: Timers
You use TON, TOF and TP timers, build a flasher and a delayed start, and interlock two outputs so they cannot run together. Timers are where beginners first meet timing bugs, so this week is practical. You are asked to explain, in a line, why a timer behaves as it does.
Week 4: Counters, comparisons and numbers
You count events with CTU and CTD counters, make decisions with compare and math blocks, and read binary and hex. This is the last week of the Free internship. After it, you sit the final exam, which is 15 multiple-choice questions.
Weeks 5 to 8, if you extend
The later weeks move from single rungs to whole machines. They open when you extend the Free internship by 4 weeks (paid), or in the Engineer-verified edition, where an engineer also reviews your work.
- Week 5: Sequences, modes and safe stops. You write a step table for a machine, build the sequence with a step number, add manual and auto modes, and say which stops are category 0, 1 or 2.
- Week 6: Analog signals, HMI and alarms. You read a 4 to 20 mA signal as a real value, add hysteresis, show it on a simple screen and write an alarm list with priorities and operator actions.
- Week 7: Function blocks, Structured Text and tidy programs. You reuse logic in a function block, read and write a few lines of Structured Text, and keep a program tidy, commented and backed up with a version note.
- Week 8: Documentation, commissioning and the client brief. You read a client brief, write an I/O list and a functional description, plan FAT and SAT tests, find faults in a calm order and hand over a complete pack.
What do you hand in?
In the Virtual Workplace, a simulated colleague sends you a brief each week, and you hand in a document or program. The made-up client is a packaging company and the project is the controls for its Line 3. In the free weeks the hand-ins are an I/O list for the infeed conveyor, a start and stop program with its tag list, a reversing and star-delta program with an interlock table, and a batch counter in a four-week hand-in. AI marks the hand-ins and says what to fix. Because the work is yours, you can show it, with the date, to a lecturer or interviewer.
How does the exam work?
The Free internship ends with a final exam of 15 multiple-choice questions. You have 60 minutes, you pass at 60%, and it opens full screen and is marked automatically. You get 3 tries; after that a fresh paper opens 24 hours later. When you pass, you can claim the free certificate. It shows your real start and finish dates and your active hours, and it carries a QR code so anyone can verify it. How the certificates work explains what each one shows.
What can you show afterwards?
A short list, each item backed by a record: a verified certificate with real dates and active hours; an I/O list, a start and stop program and an interlock table; and a clear way of explaining the scan cycle. Call these training work and never site experience. If you want a person to review the work, the paid edition does that.
If you want a person to look at your work, the paid Engineer-verified edition runs for 4, 8 or 12 weeks. An engineer reviews what you hand in, and the documents are signed by Brijin Chacko. Details and prices, shown in your own currency, are on the Engineer-verified page.
Which tools and courses help?
The exercises use free software, so you can practise at home. For more depth, try our free courses on CODESYS and IEC 61131, PLC and electrical troubleshooting for maintenance teams, industrial motor control and instrumentation for PLC engineers. The wider standard behind the languages is described by PLCopen and the IEC.
Where to go next
Read the full PLC internship page, see how the certificates work on the certificates page, or compare every track on the internships page. The PLC internship is one of 21, in four groups: Automation; Electrical & Energy; Building, Quality & Projects; and AI, Data & Security.
Last reviewed 9 Nov 2026.
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Questions
What do you do in a PLC internship?
You learn what a PLC is, write ladder logic, use timers and counters, build sequences with manual and auto modes, scale analog signals, write alarms, and finish with documentation and commissioning. Each week has lesson cards, a worked exercise on a free simulator and a short check.
Do I need to buy a PLC or software?
No. The exercises use free tools, such as the CODESYS simulator, OpenPLC Editor and the PLC Fiddle browser simulator. A normal laptop and an internet connection are enough, and nothing in the programme asks you to buy hardware.
Which weeks are free?
Weeks 1 to 4 are the Free internship: what a PLC is, ladder logic basics, timers, and counters with comparisons and numbers. All four weeks are open on day 1. The later weeks come with a paid extension of 4 or 8 more weeks, or with the Engineer-verified edition, where an engineer also reviews your work.
Is a PLC internship the same as a job?
No. It is a training programme, not employment. There is no stipend and no promise of a job, an interview or a placement. What you get is practice, a record of the work you did and a certificate that anyone can verify.
Is it enough to get a PLC job?
We cannot promise that, and no internship honestly can. It shows an employer that you can read and write ladder logic and follow a method. Pair it with your degree, a few small projects of your own, and real applications.
Sources
- PLCopen, the IEC 61131-3 programming languages (home page, read 9 November 2026)
- IEC, International Electrotechnical Commission (home page, read 9 November 2026)
- CODESYS, the free PLC development system (home page, read 9 November 2026)
Written by the EDWartens engineering team for general education. Product names are trademarks of their owners; mentioning them does not imply endorsement. Prices and terms of other providers were checked on the date shown and can change.
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