Houston, United States 🇺🇸

Free PLC training in Houston

Engineers and technicians in Houston can learn PLC programming, SCADA, drives and instrumentation free, online and at their own pace, with the courses below chosen for the city's petrochemicals, oil refining, ports and logistics. The optional certificate is US$23.99 for a beginner course.

Why automation skills matter in Houston

Houston's Ship Channel carries one of the world's largest petrochemical complexes, including the ExxonMobil Baytown and Pemex Deer Park refineries, alongside the busiest US port by tonnage. Process control, DCS and instrumentation skills are central to running plants like these.

Petrochemicals

The Houston Ship Channel supports the second-largest petrochemical complex in the world.

Oil refining

ExxonMobil's Baytown complex and the Pemex-owned Deer Park refinery both sit on the Houston Ship Channel.

Ports and logistics

Port Houston is the largest US port by waterborne tonnage and runs eight public terminals along a 52-mile waterway.

Energy corporate headquarters

Houston is home to Chevron, Phillips 66 and ConocoPhillips, among other Fortune 500 energy companies.

Industrial zones in and around Houston

Houston Ship Channel industrial corridor
Refineries and chemical plants line the channel, including ExxonMobil Baytown and Deer Park.
Barbours Cut and Bayport terminals
Port Houston's main public container terminals on the Ship Channel.

Which PLCs you are likely to meet

General regional pattern: Allen-Bradley (Rockwell Automation) grew to hold the largest share of the PLC hardware and software market in North America.

Free courses for Houston

PLC programming · Beginner · Free

Allen-Bradley Studio 5000

Instrumentation · Beginner · Free

Industrial Instrumentation and Process Control

DCS · Intermediate · Free

Emerson DeltaV DCS

Safety · Advanced · Free

Safety Instrumented Systems and SIL to IEC 61511

Process control · Intermediate · Free

PID Control for PLC Engineers

Industrial networks · Intermediate · Free

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

All free courses

The certificate

Beginner US$23.99, 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 United States. EDWartens is not affiliated with them.

Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (TBPELS)
State board that licenses Professional Engineers (PE) and certifies Engineers-in-Training in Texas.
NCEES
Develops the FE and PE exams used for US professional engineer licensure.
International Society of Automation (ISA)
Automation professional body behind the CAP and CCST certifications and the ISA/IEC 62443 cybersecurity standards.
Apprenticeship.gov (US Department of Labor)
US Department of Labor portal for Registered Apprenticeship programmes.

Questions from Houston

Is there free PLC training in Houston?

Yes, online. Every EDWartens course is free to learn in full from Houston: 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$23.99, 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 Houston?

Start with Allen-Bradley Studio 5000. It matches what plants in the region commonly run; the other courses on this page follow Houston's main industries.

Is the certificate recognised by employers in Houston?

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 United States: Detroit, Chicago

Sources

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