JLR in major drive to recruit 5,000 new staff Boost for region as car giant looks to an electric future
JAGUAR Land Rover has revealed yet another gigantic jobs boost for the country as it plans to recruit 5,000 new workers.
The expansion would see the Midland manufacturing giant boost its UK workforce by 15 per cent to 42,000 workers – and is bound to principally benefit the region.
The recruitment drive will secure the skills of electronic and software engineers with an estimated 1,000 roles to fill in those rolls.
The carmaker this week launched the drive with an innovative partnership with the band Gorillaz.
It is likely many of the jobs will be at Jaguar Land Rover’s growing operations at Castle Bromwich, Whitley and Gaydon.
That would tie in with an ambitious vision outlined by Jaguar Land Rover’s chief executive Ralf Speth late last year.
Mr Speth spoke Coventry to be at of his desire the heart of for the firm’s growth plans as a ‘smart’ motor city, helping the UK to lead the world in autonomous, connected and electric vehicles.
Since then the firm has started further expansion at Whitley and most recently opened its huge Classic Works operation at Ryton, the largest facility of its kind in the world.
Mr Speth also suggested Coventry could be at the heart of Jaguar’s electric vehicle production.
Later this year the car maker will launch its first electric vehicle (EV), the Jaguar I-Pace.
It is set to be produced in Austria under contract by Magna Steyr, but Jaguar Land Rover has pledged it will be the first of many, with large-scale production set to take place in the UK further down the line.
Automotive industry expert and Post columnist David Bailey, who is based at Aston Business School, said: “The European car market is rapidly turning away from diesels in the wake of the Volkswagen crisis, with consumers spooked by fears over tighter regulations, restrictions on diesels in cities, and uncertainty over residual values of cars. firms like Jaguar Land Rover accelerating a shift into EVs hybrids.
“Jaguar Land Rover in particular has been far too slow to get into the burgeoning EV market and is now playing catch-up with the likes of Tesla and BMW.
“Given such shifts, and the move into autonomous and connected Car are and cars, electronics and software increasingly key for new cars.”
JLR is keen to recruit the brightest technical minds from across the globe through its innovative partnership with the band Gorillaz.
Applicants can download a Gorillaz app and try to crack a codebreaking challenge.
Those who succeed will be fasttracked through the recruitment process without the need for a CV.
Alex Heslop, head of electrical engineering, Jaguar Land Rover, said: “As the automotive industry transforms over the next decade, fuelled by software innovation, we have to attract the best talent and that requires a radical rethink of how we recruit.
“Here we’ve found an engaging way to recruit a diverse talent pool in software systems, cyber systems, app development and graphics performance. It will be the first of its kind.”
Mr Bailey added: “In so doing so Jaguar Land Rover aims to pay more attention to skills rather than qualifications, and also attract more women.” are
JLR has been far too slow to get into the burgeoning electric vehicle market David Bailey