Simulators Won’t Get You Hired: The Truth About PLC Training
Can students really be job-ready in automation without ever touching a real PLC? The answer is simple: no.
In today's digital era, you may think that PLC simulators are all you need to learn the skills you need to be successful in the automation industry. While simulators have become a great tool for learning a wide range of technical skills, they will not give you all of the marketable skills you need to get a job.
These software environments offer a safe, cost-effective way to understand logic development, practice coding, and some can simulate industrial processes, but they fall short when it comes to preparing people for real-world industrial automation applications. To become truly proficient in PLC programming, you need experience with actual hardware. Here’s why.
1. Simulators Can’t Fully Replicate Hardware Behavior. Simulators emulate PLC environments, but they can't perfectly replicate how real PLCs interact with sensors, actuators, and other field devices. Real hardware introduces issues such as:
Signal noise and interference
Wiring errors
Latency and timing issues
Hardware-specific quirks or delays.
Without encountering these factors, people miss out on diagnosing and solving problems that regularly occur in live systems.
2. Physical Wiring and I/O Configuration Matters. Knowing how to program logic is only part of the job. You would be surprised at the people who contact me and say “I took a PLC class but my instructor didn't show me how to wire an input or output device”. PLC technicians must also understand how to:
Wire digital and analog inputs/outputs
Configure communication protocols (e.g., Modbus, Ethernet/IP
Read electrical schematics and control panels
Simulators typically skip these tasks, which are critical in real installations. A student who’s only worked with virtual switches and lights won't be prepared to connect a real sensor to an input terminal, troubleshoot a non-functioning relay, or configure modern communications networks.
3.Real-Time Testing and Debugging. Simulators are forgiving. They won’t short circuit, overheat, or physically malfunction. Real hardware does.
There is no better lesson than being sure that you have wired a circuit correctly only to have it not work. Then having to think through why it doesn't work and find that wire that fell out because you didn't get it fully under the remember screw. When working with physical components, people develop skills in:
Safety procedures and lockout/tagout
Multimeter usage and continuity checks
On-site troubleshooting and replacement of faulty parts
These experiences build problem-solving skills that are essential for industrial environments.
4. HMI and SCADA Integration. Human-Machine Interfaces (HMI) and SCADA systems are often used alongside PLCs. While simulators may offer limited HMI emulation, real-world practice with actual HMI panels or software shows students how to:
Upload/download HMI projects
Connect HMIs to PLCs
Monitor live data and alarms
This hands-on integration is rarely simulated with complete accuracy.
5. Industry Standards and Employer Expectations. Employers in manufacturing, automation, and process industries expect technicians and engineers to have real-world experience. When a job applicant says that they have programmed a simulator or a Raspberry Pi, potential employers exclude them from consideration for lack of experience. While simulation-based learning shows initiative, it rarely satisfies job requirements without hardware exposure. Many employers look for candidates who have handled:
PLC hardware like Siemens, Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Beckhoff, Mitsubishi, etc
Field device wiring and commissioning
Panel building and industrial safety compliance
What are Simulators good for?
Try before you buy. Simulators are good for testing the waters to see if you want to learn PLC programming before you invest in some hardware.
High School Programs. If a high school is doing a short introductory program and only has a few PLCs that must be shared during a several week long program, simulators can help the students test their exercises before downloading it to the PLC.
What are simulators bad for?
Internal company training. The average small manufacturing downtime will pay for a PLC trainer in less than 1 hour. The PLC program won't go bad. Your technicians need to understand how the field devices and communications networks interact with the PLC to properly diagnose the machine and replace faulty hardware.
2 Year Community College / Trade School programs. Similarly to a company's internal training, you are preparing the workforce of tomorrow. Without these practical skills, graduates will not be able to get the job they expect with their degree.
4 Year Universities. I talk to HR departments often and ask them why they won't take a chance on an engineer with less than 3 to 5 years of experience and their answer is almost always that the engineers have not touched any actual equipment. They have a lot of theoretical knowledge but don't know how to apply it on an actual project. Universities charge enough money to invest in world class hardware.
No more excuses. Get real hardware in the lab
If your school or training program is relying solely on PLC simulators to teach automation, you're short-changing your students and the industry. Simulators are a convenient starting point, but they don’t build the skills that employers are actually hiring for. You can’t teach wiring, troubleshooting, or real-time problem solving with a mouse and keyboard. The result? Graduates who will struggle to land jobs because they’ve never touched the tools they’re expected to know.
If your goal is to prepare students for the workforce as in truly prepare them, then it's time to stop cutting corners. A few PLC trainer kits in your lab can make the difference between producing job-ready technicians and producing disappointed graduates with unusable knowledge. Employers are tired of seeing resumes that say “PLC experience” when all the student has done is click around in a simulator.