Schneider Electric launch skills training programme in the UK and Ireland

Schneider Electric Training aims to offer a holistic approach to training by unifying specialist academies, courses, and digital campuses.

According to Schneider, the move is in response to the chronic skills gap in engineering and the vital role that training plays in addressing the growing complexities associated with digital transformation.

The programme covers everything from AI, the automation of machinery and equipment, to innovations in power and energy management, and safety standards and regulations.

Schneider Electric Training will provide customers, partners, and engineers with a single point of access to the vast array of training options and resources available, covering Schneider Electric solutions, industry focused courses, and professional accreditations.

It will be delivered via several academies for in-person courses, as well as offering a digital campus for on-demand courses for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) via the ‘mySchneider portal.’

Two academies are already up and running, with three more due to be launched by the end of the year.

The Safety Academy in Telford offers a range of Schneider Electric and professional training courses to ensure the safe operation of electrical equipment and site safety, including Competent Person certification and City & Guilds assured Authorised Person training.

The Automation Academy in Coventry offers a comprehensive curriculum covering the company’s automation portfolio. It is designed to take students from basic product understanding through to advanced programming of legacy and current technology, including Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC), Variable Speed Drives (VSD), Human Machine Interfaces (HMI), Motion Control and Robotics.

“Organisations are becoming more dependent on their electrical backbone to support operations, digital transformation, automation, and manufacturing. Electrical engineers and their specialist expertise are critical to the installation, safety, and maintenance of this electrical infrastructure,” David Pownall, VP Services at Schneider Electric UK and Ireland, said in a statement.

“There is an urgent need to build skills to embrace new technologies, drive modernisation, improve performance, reduce downtime, and comply with changing safety regulations. Not only that, but training is critical to career enhancement and a key foundation of a positive employee experience, attracting and retaining people when we’re facing a significant skills gap crisis.

“Smarter engineers, equipped with the skills needed today and a clear development path to build expertise for the future, make for smarter businesses.”