Classrooms into Careers: How Eplan Education Prepares Future Engineers

Eplan Education provides stellar software designed specifically for electrical design, automation planning, and cabling. Not only does this help students create designs, but it also helps build the skills required for a future career.

Formula Student teams across the UK, including Warwick’s team, have seen firsthand how Eplan Education can streamline their design process, enhance build quality, and give them an edge in competitions. 

In this blog, we will explore what Eplan Education actually is and why Formula Students teams make the most of it.

What is Eplan Education?

Eplan Education is our free offering for engineering students. The Eplan Education software can be divided into two sections: Electrical Design software and Electrical Cabling Software.

Electrical Design Software

With Eplan Education, students can find out how to complete a wealth of tasks. Generate smart, professional electrical designs and automation plans. Produce 3D digital twins quickly and easily as this forms the foundation for panel production. Lastly, enjoy the many benefits of this powerful software!

Included in the package, you will receive:

• Eplan Electric P8 to design schematics and layouts quickly and simply. 
• Eplan Preplanning for technical preplanning before you start your project. 
• Eplan ProPanel for panel building and control cabinet engineering in 3D. 
• Eplan Fluid for hydraulic, pneumatic and other fluid-based systems.
• Access to the Eplan Data Portal, where you can integrate components from well-known manufacturers into your projects.

Electrical Cabling Software

Eplan Harness proD for Education can be used to efficiently design and document cabling on 3D mechanical models. Eplan sponsors Formula Student teams across the UK, many of whom use Eplan Harness proD to help with their car build.

Extra Learning Materials 

Develop your understanding using the exclusive Eplan Platform to access free eLearning courses for self-study. Would you prefer to complete the eLearning courses in English or in a different language? Our online tutorials are available in fourteen languages and according to two industry standards (IEC and NFPA). Each tutorial includes step-by-step instructions and a quiz so you can test what you’ve learned straight away, or use as a consolidation activity.

We also received the 2024 eLearning Award in the “Knowledge Transfer” category for this form of adaptive learning. We want to invest in young electrical engineers by providing free engineering software to begin your professional career.

Online Tutorials

Eplan has a huge community that you can access after registering at www.eplan.com. Take advantage of numerous additional tutorials from the community to expand your Eplan skills. They include everything you need to know about block properties, terminals, connectors and cables, and Eplan message management. You will also get to know the various solutions on the Eplan Platform.

Why We Partner with Formula Student Teams

Since 1981, teams of innovative engineering students have participated in a fierce annual competition: Formula Student. Creating a racecar from scratch is no easy feat. Throughout the designing, building and racing stages of the competition, participating students gain invaluable skills that will prepare them for their career ahead.

We partner with ambitious Formula Student teams across the UK, providing free Eplan Education and Eplan Harness proD Education software. This software is used by teams to design and then build the electrical systems and harness of their vehicle.

Formula Student is a brilliant opportunity for students to transition from education into industry, seeing a huge project through from concept to completion. For students to gain such experience before even entering the workforce will also help close the skills gap, leading to a growing pool of talented graduates. Eplan is proud to help the next generation of electrical engineers to reach their potential.

Eplan is like an extra team member, offering training and support to help teams get the most out of the software and succeed in the competition. 

Support we provide includes:

• Day training sessions and recordings for anyone using the software
• Q+A sessions
• Ongoing contact and support throughout the competition
• Access to student elearning courses
• Information portal

Let’s hear from Warwick’s Formula Student team, who like to use Eplan Harness proD for their electrical system design, allowing them to streamline harness development and support integration with their mechanical builds.

Q+A Session with Warwick’s Formula Student Team

Q: Can you tell us about your team’s goals for the 2025 Formula Student competition? 

A: For 2025 Formula Student this year, our goals are for a Top 10 finish and a really good scrutineering which pushes on from our Top 20 finish last year.

Q: How can Eplan help your team achieve your goals?

A: Eplan will help us achieve this because it allows us to build our harnesses in parallel with our mechanical builds. This gives us more time for testing, more time to sort out errors, and they’ve given us support to help us build our harnesses, alongside some training on how to use the tool itself.

Q: Can you give us an overview of your team’s structure and how you manage different phases of development?

A: In the team we’ve got about 100 people; we’ve got the technical and the operational side. Across the year, we split into a design build phase and then a testing phase. Around December time is when we switch from design into building. We’re just coming up into our Easter break where we will enter a big building phase called a ‘build spree’. 

Q: How does Eplan Education help you create high-quality builds? 

A: Eplan is really helpful for us because it gives us a headstart on building our harnesses at a really high and professional standard. I definitely recommend it to other teams, especially those who are learning the software from scratch because they were really accommodating in helping us out. They run their own training for us and they’ve been really supportive. 

Benefits of Eplan Education

While there are many types of free CAD software for electrical engineering students, there is undeniable value in students having access to ECAD (Electrical-CAD) software that is tailored specifically towards electrical design.

Electrical engineers often work in panel building, electrical design, automation design, and mechatronic engineering. They regularly use software in their design work to create electrical schematics. However, creating schematic layouts using the wrong software can be an error-prone, repetitive, and time-consuming exercise. That’s why experienced electrical engineers across the world use Eplan to create quick, error-free designs.

Using Eplan Education helps students prepare for industry, as well as providing a brilliant tool to assist with academic projects and aid learning.

Eplan Education accelerates the learning curve

From simple robotic cells to complex production systems, you can create electrical engineering designs in no time using Eplan. Aside from creating traditional schematics, you will also be creating digital twins in 3D. View your designs from any perspective and gain an understanding of the electrical engineering of different machines and plant systems.

Eplan Education boosts your employability

You will get a head start with any job searches because Eplan is a leading electrical design software used by companies for machine building, plant system engineering, panel building and control cabinet designs. Top off your skills with the certification as an Eplan Certified Student. Along with expanding your skills in Eplan's student education software, you will also receive a certificate for your application credentials.

Closing Thoughts

After reading this blog, hopefully you will realise that Eplan Education is more than just free software. The only one of its kind, Eplan Education is our complete learning platform designed to help engineering students develop real-world skills. From designing electrical schematics to developing automation projects, Eplan provides the tools and training to make it happen.

For Formula Student teams like Warwick’s, Eplan is an essential part of their workflow. Our software helps them to build professional-grade electrical systems and compete at the highest level. Students looking to gain an advantage in the job market will love to hear about Eplan’s certifications and learning resources. These certifications can provide a direct pathway into industries like panel building, automation, and mechatronics. 

With training, support, and industry-standard software all at your fingertips, Eplan Education ensures that students are prepared to design and innovate in their specialties. Although it’s great to see our students succeed in competitions like Formula Student, we are equally excited to see you thrive in your future careers. 

Still have a few questions? Feel free to explore our Eplan Education FAQs for more information.