We know how frustrating it can be when you want to level up your SCADA skills, only to be met with endless roadblocks. The class you’re eyeing conflicts with your work schedule, or the free online SCADA training you find is only free for the most basic lessons. But it really shouldn’t be this hard.
Here at Inductive Automation, we’re committed to empowering others through the free sharing of knowledge, and one major way we accomplish that is with Inductive University. Inductive University (IU) is a trusted online training platform that’s helped engineers across the globe advance their SCADA skills for over a decade. As Will Baker, SCADA Manager at Texas Automation Systems, describes it, “Inductive University is just extremely helpful.”
IU offers SCADA training video courses that are 100% free, created by experts, and viewable on-demand. Courses range from basic fundamental topics to more advanced topics like scripting, customizing reports, and setting up alarm notification pipelines.
Simply put, IU is the best free way to learn SCADA software out there today, because it solves all of the biggest training pain points. Let’s dive into how.
Pain Point 1: Busy Schedules
For today’s engineer, trying to fit a SCADA software training class onto your calendar can be a big challenge, sometimes meaning you have to give up something important to you (like going to your kid’s recital) in order to make it happen.
But with Inductive University, you get the ultimate flexibility of taking on-demand video courses whenever and wherever you like. This flexibility is vital, so you don’t have to sacrifice too much personal time to develop yourself professionally. And its self-guided nature means you can take it at your own pace, so if you have the time you can knock out the training quicker, or spread it out and just accomplish a little every week.
Plus, since it’s virtual, you don’t have to spend time commuting, so you get more time to actually learn. And you can go back and brush up on subjects whenever you need a refresher, meaning you’ll perpetually be at the top of your game.
Pain Point 2: Prohibitive Training Expenses
Training costs can be a very real roadblock for both individuals and integration companies. With online SCADA training courses often costing thousands of dollars, that alone might be enough to bring your educational efforts to a grinding halt. But you can overcome this obstacle with Inductive University because it offers 100% free SCADA training.
Unlike some free online courses that offer freebies with basic courses and then charge for more advanced courses, every single course at IU is free. IU also includes courses that go beyond specific Ignition features and into broader skill-building areas, such as Design Fundamentals, which covers concepts like responsive design and visual hierarchy. In total, you get over 32 hours of comprehensive training for free.
What’s more, getting your Ignition credential by completing the courses is also free. This credential is a wonderful way to demonstrate knowledge about using both Ignition and SCADA software in general.
Pain Point 3: Gated Access To Software
Trying to learn how to solve different problems in SCADA without access to the tool you’d be using is a frustrating experience known as “tutorial hell.” Learning with a hands-on approach is absolutely critical when it comes to SCADA.
IU’s solution to this is easy — you can download a free trial of Ignition to use as you learn. While SCADA free trials are offered elsewhere, the crucial difference with Ignition’s free trial is that it’s both fully functional and unlimited. Because of this, you can use it throughout the duration of your training, no matter how long it takes you. This all equates to less stress while you learn, since you don’t have to rush to complete your training within the limited timeframe other trials impose on you.
Pain Point 4: Absence Of Training Support
Whether you get stumped on a technique or just need further clarification during your training, having support is clutch. This pain point can be pretty major, because if you get stuck on something fundamental, it’s difficult to move forward to concepts that build upon something you don’t understand yet.
When it comes to support, the Ignition community really shines. Throughout the automation industry, you’ll likely never meet people more dedicated to helping each other than Ignition’s community members. When you post questions on our online Ignition Forum, you’ll discover that Forum members are more than happy to share their knowledge and help you navigate problems.
And as a supplement to your learning experience, we also provide extensive Ignition documentation in our User Manual, which makes it easy to look up answers and learn more about different tools and topics.
Pain Point 5: DIY Training Lacks Structure
If you want to pursue self-guided training via free online courses, it’s difficult to do it in an organized fashion. Cobbling together different free courses and keeping track of what’s been completed gets messy fast. And of course with an integration firm trying to put multiple employees through integrator training, keeping things organized is an even larger feat.
IU has a simple solution for this. If you sign up for an IU account (which is free to do), you can easily track training progress, whether for an individual or for multiple people on your team. This enables a smoother educational experience since you don’t have to deal with organizational roadblocks.
Go Get Your Free Credential!
The pain points we’ve covered here aren’t exhaustive, because we thoughtfully designed Inductive University to overcome all the typical hurdles you might encounter. For example, if you need to do your SCADA training in a noisy facility, it’s no problem since all videos have closed captions. And if English isn’t your native language, you can use Google Chrome to translate the transcripts that are included for every lesson. The list goes on and on.
Of course, if you do have the time and resources to dedicate to paid training, and wish to earn an industrial automation certification, you can get Ignition certification by taking our Core Training course. These courses are led by incredibly knowledgeable Ignition experts, and there are both virtual and in-person options available. Check out our training schedule to see what courses are coming up.
Otherwise, I encourage you to check out Inductive University today, and start working towards your very own free Ignition Credential!
