At a Glance

• Format: Evening flex, open-lab
• Schedule: Flexible Monday – Thursday, 5:00–9:00 PM
• Length: About 9 months
• Location: Automation & Robotics Center, TechWorks Campus, Waterloo, Iowa
• Focus: Industrial maintenance, PLCs, and Industry 4.0 systems
• Credentials: Embedded, stackable SACA Industry 4.0 micro-credentials

Program Overview

This certificate prepares you to keep modern automated equipment running. You’ll work with mechanical, electrical, fluid power, and automation systems used in smart manufacturing.

The Industrial Automation Maintenance Certificate builds on Hawkeye’s well established Industrial Maintenance Training Program with added automation content. Focus on PLC training: Programmable Controller Systems 1 and PLC Troubleshooting. All other core maintenance courses remain in place.

The result: a short, intensive program that helps you install, troubleshoot, and maintain equipment in an Industry 4.0 environment.

Built to Fit Your Life

Competency-Based Education

You move forward when you’ve mastered the skills, not when the calendar says so. No busywork. No filler. Just clear tasks and hands-on assessments in the state of the art lab that show what you can do.

Evening Flex, Open-Lab Format

Train evenings while you work during the day. Our open-concept lab lets you work through modules at your pace, with the flexibility to adjust around your shift or family schedule.

• Come to the lab any evening Monday–Thursday, between the hours of 5 PM and 9 PM.
• Fridays are full day open lab on first come first serve basis.
• Get one-on-one help from a subject matter expert on duty. Each night has an assigned instructor specialist to assist you with subject matter you are working on. 
• Work alongside other learners in a realistic industrial setting.

Stackable SACA Micro-Credentials

As you check off competencies, you earn stackable SACA micro-credentials that line up with national Industry 4.0 standards. These stack into higher-level Industry 4.0 and specialist certifications as you keep training.

What You’ll Learn

Courses are hands-on and built around real industrial equipment in Hawkeye’s Automation & Robotics Center.

Core Technical Skills

• Industry 4.0 basic operations and safety
• Applied industrial math
• Mechanical power systems 1, 2, and 3
• Laser shaft alignment
• Rotating electrical machines
• Electrical systems 1 and electrical system installation
• Electrical fabrication

Controls and Automation

• Sensor logic systems
• Electrical motor control systems
• AC variable frequency drives
• Motor control troubleshooting
• Process control systems
• Programmable Controller Systems 1 (PLC)
• PLC troubleshooting

Fluid Power and Troubleshooting

• Pneumatic systems 1
• Pneumatic troubleshooting
• Hydraulic systems 1 and 2
• Basic hydraulic troubleshooting
• Electric motor troubleshooting

These courses align with SACA certification areas such as basic operations, pneumatic and hydraulic systems, mechanical power, electrical systems, and control systems.

Is This Certificate a Good Fit for You?

This program works well if you:

• Already work in manufacturing and want stronger maintenance or PLC skills
• Are new to the field and want a short, focused path into industrial maintenance
• Need evening options so you can keep your current job
• Prefer hands-on work over long lectures
• Want training that can roll into additional Industry 4.0 or degree pathways later.

Why Train at Hawkeye?

• Real equipment. Train on industry-standard systems used by local employers, including PLCs and integrated Industry 4.0 trainers.
• Industry connection. Curriculum and credentials are built around what regional manufacturers say they need in multi-skill maintenance techs.
• Short time to impact. In about nine months, you can be ready for maintenance and automation roles or upskilled in your current position.
• Supportive, small-scale environment. Instructors know you by name and are available in the lab each evening to help you work through problems and projects.
• Clear next steps. Your certificate and SACA credentials can apply toward more advanced Industry 4.0, diploma, or AAS options in Industrial Automation Technology.

Career Paths

Skills from this certificate can support roles such as:

• Industrial maintenance technician
• Maintenance mechanic
• Maintenance electrician
• Automation / controls technician
• Production line maintenance or set-up technician

Local employers in advanced manufacturing, food processing, and other production industries look for maintenance techs who can work across mechanical, electrical, and automation systems—exactly what this program is designed to cover.

Next Steps

Ready to see if the Industrial Automation Maintenance Certificate is right for you or your employees?

• Visit Hawkeye’s Industrial Automation Technology and Automation & Robotics Center pages for current start dates and details.
• Connect with the Automation & Robotics Center to talk through goals, schedule, and funding options.
• Ask how this certificate can stack into additional Industry 4.0 or Industrial Automation Technology pathways.

Build skills that work. Build a future that fits.