- Jaguar Land Rover, the UK's Responsible Business of the Year, announces its legacy programme
- 'Inspiring Tomorrow's Workforce' programme for unemployed aged 16‑24 will engage up to 150 young people by July 2014
- New initiatives are also being developed to engage customers with environmental initiatives and build a sustainable supply chain
- Range Rover Hybrid and Jaguar C‑X75 showcase Jaguar Land Rover's investment in cutting‑edge technology and innovation
- BITC President, His Royal Highness Prince Charles, meets Jaguar Land Rover apprentices to find out how the company's award‑winning training programme is preparing young people to become the next generation of innovators, engineers and technologists.
Whitley, Coventry, Thursday 6 February ‑ Jaguar Land Rover today announced details of its Business in the Community (BITC) Responsible Business of the Year legacy programme.
Jaguar Land Rover was named BITC Responsible Business of the Year in July 2013 and is the UK's first ever manufacturing company to win the UK's most highly regarded CSR award. The Responsible Business accolade recognises Jaguar Land Rover's investments in UK jobs and facilities, improving the environmental performance of its vehicles and manufacturing operations and increasing skills and education opportunities for employees and young people.
Jaguar Land Rover Chief Executive, Dr. Ralf Speth, delivered a keynote speech to 600 UK business leaders and BITC President HRH Prince Charles, at BITC's Leadership Summit in London. Dr. Speth said: "We were honoured and humbled to be awarded Responsible Business of the Year. I believe that we won partly because of our potential to do something really special. There are high expectations.
"We've developed a meaningful legacy for the next stage of our responsible business journey which focuses on youth unemployment, engaging customers with environmental initiatives and building a sustainable supply chain.
"Delivering a truly sustainable business is an immense challenge. We're up for it. No one company has all the answers so we look forward to sharing our experiences and working with BITC and the many companies in this room to make responsible business a reality. I hope our legacy projects and responsible business events will inspire other businesses to deliver transformational change for a more sustainable future."
Jaguar Land Rover's 'Responsible Business' legacy focuses on three key areas.
Jaguar Land Rover launched its 'Inspiring Tomorrow's Workforce' enhanced traineeship programme in November which offers work experience, training and qualifications to unemployed young people to prepare them for employment and unlock their potential. It is the company's contribution towards tackling the huge social problem of youth unemployment.
To engage customers with environmental initiatives, Jaguar Land Rover will launch a partnership with customers to encourage them to drive more economically, reducing their eco footprint and saving them money. We will invest the eco‑savings from more efficient driving to deliver good elsewhere ‑ for example improved healthcare and better education for disadvantaged communities with our charity partners.
Jaguar Land Rover will collaborate even more closely with its suppliers, to further improve resource management ‑ reducing both costs and environmental impact. For example, using recycled aluminium in lightweight bodies saves on material costs and uses 95 per cent less energy to process than virgin aluminium. Jaguar Land Rover will meet its top 200 suppliers in April to share 'best practices' on other priority commodities to extend the financial and environmental benefits of 'circular economy' thinking.
During the Leadership Summit, His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, met four Jaguar Land Rover apprentices who spoke to him about their careers and how they are helping deliver cutting‑edge vehicles such as Range Rover Hybrid and C‑X75.
Jaguar Land Rover Higher Apprentice Louis Loach, who works in Hybrid Calibration, commented: "My key role is to support the testing and development of the Range Rover Hybrid Control System. I've learnt about the Controls system of the Range Rover Hybrid, as well as learning how to calibrate the system to allow the vehicle to achieve its targets in terms of driveability and function. I'm really enjoying my apprenticeship and am working towards a degree at Coventry University as well as an NVQ4."
ENDS
For more information, contact:
Kate Birkenhead, CSR PR and Communications, JaguarLand Rover
M: 07780 494 352, E: kbirkenh@jaguarlandrover.com