← PLC curriculum for educators
See exactly how a browser-based PLC programming curriculum — ladder logic, timers, counters, I/O, motor control, HMI, robotics, IEC 61131-3, troubleshooting and safety — maps to the competency themes your program is accountable for. The mapping is shown on this page for three programme families, and you can download a free PDF mapping pack to drop into your own course documentation.
To be clear: this is a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) programming curriculum for industrial automation — not a “Professional Learning Community” teaching framework. The mapping below is an instructor’s starting point, in generic competency language — our interpretation, not an official accreditation crosswalk.
Join 1400+ learners practicing PLC programming
Want it mapped to your exact program? Talk to us ↓
An instructor’s starting-point mapping — adapt to your accreditation. This is an instructor's starting-point mapping, written in generic, publicly-documented competency language. It is our own interpretation of how the platform lines up with common programme competency themes — not an official crosswalk, endorsement, or accreditation by any awarding body, college, apprenticeship sponsor, or standards organisation. Adapt and verify it against your own accredited programme outcomes before you rely on it.
The mapping, on-page
Each table lines up a generic, publicly-documented competency theme against the module, lessons and scenarios that cover it, and the auto-graded scenario or certificate that evidences it. Same curriculum throughout — these are just three common ways a programme frames it.
Industrial Automation & Electrical Technology programmes
Associate-degree and certificate programmes in Industrial Automation, Electrical/Electronics Technology, and Automation Technology commonly publish course-level competencies around PLC fundamentals, I/O, ladder logic, timers/counters, motor control, HMI/operator interfaces, and troubleshooting. Below is how the platform maps to those common competency themes — generic wording, our interpretation, adapt to your own course outcomes.
| Competency theme (generic) | How the platform covers it | Assessment / evidence |
|---|---|---|
| PLC fundamentals: hardware, CPU, I/O modules, scan cycle | PLC Basics module — "What is a PLC", architecture, the scan cycle, addressing | Auto-graded intro scenarios + knowledge checks |
| Ladder logic programming: contacts, coils, seal-in / latching | Ladder Logic core lessons — NO/NC contacts, output coils, seal-in motor-start rung | Auto-graded ladder scenarios (per-test pass/fail) |
| Timers and counters (on-delay, off-delay, up/down) | Timers (TON/TOF/RTO) and Counters (CTU/CTD) lessons + traffic-light and conveyor-count scenarios | Auto-graded timing & counting scenarios |
| Discrete and analog I/O; field-device wiring concepts | Digital & Analog I/O lessons, sinking/sourcing, 4–20 mA scaling; PLC wiring labs | Auto-graded I/O scenarios + wiring lab checks |
| Motor control: start/stop, jog, reversing, sequencing | Motor Control module — star-delta, reversing, multi-step machine sequencing scenarios | Auto-graded motor-control machine scenarios |
| Operator interfaces (HMI) and SCADA concepts | HMI Builder module — screens, widgets, alarms bound to PLC tags; SCADA concept lessons | HMI build exercises + HMI Designer certificate |
| Systematic troubleshooting and fault diagnosis | Troubleshooting module — fault-injection scenarios, structured diagnosis workflow | Auto-graded fault-finding scenarios |
| Programming standards (IEC 61131-3) and vendor dialects | IEC 61131-3 lessons (LD/FBD/ST/SFC/IL); Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Mitsubishi & more dialect switching | Auto-graded structured-text & dialect exercises |
| Safety concepts and fail-safe design | Safety lessons — NC E-stops, fail-to-safe state, guard logic within scenarios | Safety-graded scenario criteria |
Mechatronics / NC II–IV-style competency areas
Mechatronics technician qualifications (including national-certificate / NC II–IV-style competency areas and similar mechatronics-technician frameworks) typically group competencies into PLC programming & integration, sensors & actuators, electrical control, HMI/operator interface, and robotics/automated systems. The mapping below uses that generic competency-area language — our interpretation, to be adapted to the specific units you deliver.
| Competency theme (generic) | How the platform covers it | Assessment / evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Programmable controllers: install, program, integrate | PLC Basics + Ladder Logic + IEC 61131-3 modules across the structured path | Auto-graded programming scenarios + PLC technician certificate |
| Sensors, actuators and signal interfacing | Digital/Analog I/O lessons, sinking/sourcing sensors, 4–20 mA actuators & scaling | Auto-graded I/O & scaling scenarios |
| Electrical control circuits and motor control | Motor Control module — start/stop, reversing, star-delta, interlocks | Auto-graded motor-control scenarios |
| Sequential control and machine logic | Multi-step machine scenarios (conveyor sort, batching, traffic sequencing); SFC concepts | Auto-graded multi-step machine scenarios |
| Human-machine interface (HMI) design and operation | HMI Builder — multi-screen projects, widgets, alarm subsystem bound to tags | HMI build exercises + HMI Designer certificate |
| Industrial robotics and automated cells | Robot Simulator module — UR-style & SCARA cells, jog, motion programming, safety grading | Auto-graded robot lessons + Robot Programming certificate |
| Industrial communications and SCADA concepts | Comms & SCADA concept lessons (Modbus, networked I/O, tag binding) | Concept knowledge checks + HMI/SCADA exercises |
| Fault diagnosis, maintenance and safety | Troubleshooting module + safety/fail-safe lessons embedded across scenarios | Auto-graded fault-finding + safety-graded criteria |
Related / supplemental instruction topics
Industrial-maintenance and automation apprenticeship pathways (including registered-apprenticeship and workforce-grant-funded programmes such as AJAC/WIOA-style related-instruction outlines) commonly list related-instruction topics like PLC fundamentals, ladder logic, I/O, motor control, and troubleshooting. The platform is well suited as the practice-and-evidence layer for that related instruction. The mapping below uses generic related-instruction topic language — our interpretation, not an official apprenticeship standard.
| Competency theme (generic) | How the platform covers it | Assessment / evidence |
|---|---|---|
| PLC fundamentals (related instruction) | PLC Basics module — controller hardware, scan cycle, addressing, free intro lessons | Auto-graded intro scenarios |
| Ladder logic and relay-replacement logic | Ladder Logic core lessons — contacts, coils, seal-in, interlocks | Auto-graded ladder scenarios |
| Input/output devices and wiring | Digital/Analog I/O lessons + PLC wiring labs (port/terminal practice) | Auto-graded I/O scenarios + wiring lab checks |
| Timers, counters and process sequencing | Timers/Counters lessons + sequencing machine scenarios | Auto-graded timing/counting/sequencing scenarios |
| Motor control and electrical control circuits | Motor Control module — start/stop, reversing, star-delta starters | Auto-graded motor-control scenarios |
| Troubleshooting and predictive fault-finding | Troubleshooting module — fault-injection scenarios, structured diagnosis | Auto-graded fault-finding scenarios |
| Operator interfaces and plant safety | HMI Builder + safety/fail-safe lessons across scenarios | HMI exercises + safety-graded scenario criteria |
| Evidence of competency for the apprentice record | Timestamped, name-attributed completions; portfolio PDF export; certificates | Portfolio PDF + PLC technician / HMI / robot certificates |
Download the same mapping as a branded, printable PDF pack — ungated, no email required — so you can attach it to a course proposal, share it with a colleague, or hand it to procurement.
What it actually teaches
Every competency in the tables above is something your learners build, run and are auto-graded on in the browser — the same IEC 61131-3 logic model and HMI/SCADA workflows they will meet on a real plant floor, with no rig and no install.
Map it to your program
The tables above are a generic starting point. If you tell us the qualification, the unit codes or course competencies you are accountable for, and your cohort size, we will help line the platform up against your specific outcomes — and provide the purchase-order or quotation documentation your procurement office needs. We will be straight about what the platform does and does not cover; your institution holds its own accreditation.
Tell us your qualification, the unit codes or competencies you map to, and your cohort size. We’ll line the platform up against them and send the documentation your finance office needs.
Or grab the free curriculum mapping pack (PDF) first.
Related for institutions
Download the free curriculum mapping pack, adapt it to your accreditation, and talk to us about mapping it to your exact program outcomes.