Durban, South Africa 🇿🇦

Free PLC training in Durban

Engineers and technicians in Durban can learn PLC programming, SCADA, drives and instrumentation free, online and at their own pace, with the courses below chosen for the city's automotive, automotive components, ports and logistics. The optional certificate is US$8.99 (≈ ZAR 160) for a beginner course.

Why automation skills matter in Durban

Durban combines Toyota's Prospecton vehicle plant, a growing supplier base at Dube TradePort (including the Toyota-Ogihara press plant) and the Port of Durban, the busiest shipping terminal in sub-Saharan Africa.

Automotive

Toyota South Africa Motors' Prospecton plant builds the Hilux, Fortuner, Corolla Cross and Hiace for domestic and export markets.

Automotive components

Toyota and Ogihara opened a pressed-steel parts plant at Dube TradePort's TradeZone 2 in 2024, supplying Hilux and Fortuner panels.

Ports and logistics

The Transnet-run Port of Durban is the largest and busiest shipping terminal in sub-Saharan Africa, with a dedicated car terminal.

Sugar and food processing

Sugar refining is a major Durban industry, fed by KwaZulu-Natal's sugar cane crop.

Industrial zones in and around Durban

Dube TradePort Special Economic Zone
SEZ at La Mercy built around King Shaka International Airport, managed by a KwaZulu-Natal provincial entity.
Dube TradeZone
Light-industrial precinct of Dube TradePort for electronics, pharmaceutical and aerospace manufacturing and logistics.
Prospecton
Southern Durban industrial area where Toyota South Africa Motors has its head office and manufacturing plant.

Which PLCs you are likely to meet

Local training-market signal (what providers teach, not a market-share figure): Siemens runs SITRAIN South Africa, offering SIMATIC S7-1500 / TIA Portal programming courses (in person at Midrand, Gauteng, and online).

Free courses for Durban

PLC programming · Beginner · Free

Siemens TIA Portal

Robotics · Beginner · Free

FANUC Robot Programming with the Teach Pendant and ROBOGUIDE

Robotics · Beginner · Free

ABB Robot Programming with RobotStudio and RAPID

Quality management · Intermediate · Free

Automotive Core Tools: FMEA (AIAG-VDA 1st Edition)

Industrial networks · Intermediate · Free

Industrial Communication: Serial, Fieldbus, Ethernet, Modbus, PROFINET and OPC UA

Electrical · Beginner · Free

Electrical Control Panel Design, Building and Testing

All free courses

The certificate

Beginner US$8.99 (≈ ZAR 160), a one-off fee. Your bank handles any currency conversion. Issued when you pass the course's final assessment, with a code anyone can verify.

How the certificate works

Useful local bodies

For registration and recognised qualifications in South Africa. EDWartens is not affiliated with them.

Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA)
Statutory regulator under the Engineering Profession Act 46 of 2000; registers engineering professionals and accredits programmes.
merSETA
Sector Education and Training Authority covering auto manufacturing, automotive components and metals and engineering.
Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO)
Develops and quality-assures occupational qualifications and accredits skills development providers.

Questions from Durban

Is there free PLC training in Durban?

Yes, online. Every EDWartens course is free to learn in full from Durban: video lessons, notes, practice and a final assessment, in English, at your own pace. They run in the vendors' free or trial software with simulators, so you need a computer, not a PLC.

How much is the certificate?

The certificate is optional. For a beginner course it is US$8.99 (about ZAR 160), a one-off fee; intermediate and advanced courses cost a little more. Learning stays free whether or not you buy it.

Which PLC should I learn first in Durban?

Start with Siemens TIA Portal. It matches what plants in the region commonly run; the other courses on this page follow Durban's main industries.

Is the certificate recognised by employers in Durban?

It is an EDWartens Certificate of Completion with a public verification code, not a vendor, university or government qualification. Employers can check it online; many will also want to see a project you built.

Also in South Africa: Johannesburg

Sources

Local facts checked 26 September 2026. Company and plant names are their owners' and are mentioned for context only.