These days, much technical training for process automation specialists and other engineers--especially post-college--is pretty much a DIY affair. The glory days of deep company-sponsored training programs are long gone. But that doesn't mean resources aren't out there.
If M2M (machine-to-machine) communication is where your interests lie, you might want to check out Deutsche Telekom's Developer Garden. The community offers developers access to tools such as APIs, programming guidelines and software development kits (SDK) to develop and sell applications for M2M, the Internet of Things, easily and quickly. The community also provides developers with the opportunity to exchange information and ideas with Deutsche Telekom experts and other community members on the forums.
Perhaps a little closer to home, SCADA systems provider InduSoft, Inc. has launched a special educational version of its InduSoft Web Studio v7.1 for students and researchers at higher education institutions all over the world. The educational version was developed as a result of the feedback received from university instructors, students and researchers who had worked with several thousand InduSoft Web Studio licenses donated by the company. The goal of the program is to provide students a complete SCADA/HMI package that enables them to develop real-world applications without limits on development time. This enables students to experiment and innovate while creating the types of actual projects they encounter in the work world. For more details on how the program works, go to http://www.indusoft.com/blog/?p=1559.
