Jaguar Land Rover unveils Future Skills Programme to train 29,000 for modern luxury, all-electric future

28 September 2022

  • More than 60 per cent of Jaguar Land Rover and franchised retailer employees* around the world to be retrained to develop, manufacture and service modern luxury electric vehicles over the next three years
  • Majority of Jaguar Land Rover’s retail technicians to be trained in electrification this financial year ‑ to tackle emerging skills gaps
  • More than 9,500 apprentices are in training across Jaguar Land Rover and its retailers, with hundreds more to be hired next year

Gaydon, UK, 28 September 2022: Jaguar Land Rover today announces a global upskilling drive, in a bid to train 29,000 people in the next three years for its connected and data capabilities, and to support the rapid transition to electrification.

The company’s Future Skills Programme will see more than 10,000 Jaguar Land Rover and franchised retailer employees in the UK, and nearly 19,000 across the rest of the world trained in skills vital to electrification, digital and autonomous cars. This underlines the company’s commitment to developing its future engineering and manufacturing skills and supports the delivery of Jaguar Land Rover’s net zero targets.

Barbara Bergmeier, Jaguar Land Rover Industrial Operations Executive Director, commented:

Our plans to electrify our product portfolio are running at pace, and we are rapidly scaling up our future skills training programme to ensure we have the right talent to deliver the world’s most desirable modern luxury electric vehicles.

Developing the skilled global workforces needed to design, build and maintain the vehicles of the future is foundational. I’m proud to say we are committing to help plug the electric and digital skills gap with a comprehensive, global training programme, which will power charge electrification both here in the UK and abroad.

Barbara Bergmeier
Industrial Operations Executive Director at Jaguar Land Rover

The Future Skills Programme is key to the success of Jaguar Land Rover’s Reimagine strategy, which will see all Jaguar and Land Rover modern luxury cars available in pure electric form by the end of the decade.

Currently around 80 per cent of nearly 1,300 franchised Jaguar Land Rover retailers around the world offer electric vehicle servicing, so to tackle the skills gaps, the company is ensuring the majority of servicing technicians will receive electrification training this year.

As well as technicians, Jaguar Land Rover plans to retrain thousands of highly skilled automotive engineers and production employees, who previously worked on the development of internal combustion cars, to specialise in electrification, digital and autonomous cars.

As the production of electric cars at Jaguar Land Rover plants ramps up, plant employees at all levels will require training to ensure they can work safely alongside the high voltage systems in electric vehicles.

Karl ’Freddy’ Gunnarsson, a Jaguar Land Rover Lead Cell Engineer, was part of the Emissions After Treatment team in his first role, working on diesel catalytic converters. He joined the Battery Cell Team in January.

One aspect of the work is Karl and his team are working to increase the energy density of Jaguar Land Rover batteries to maximise the vehicle range. He said:

The transition from working on internal combustion to electric was fairly straightforward. Both require a good understanding of material chemistry, and I was able to dedicate around 30 per cent of my time to independent learning. Now, working on electric vehicles, I can see the longevity of the programme and how it supports the company’s Reimagine strategy.

Karl ’Freddy’ Gunnarsson
Lead Cell Engineer at Jaguar Land Rover

With an eye on ensuring the next generation are also equipped with future skills, the company is also bolstering its global apprenticeship programme by adding hundreds of apprentices to the Jaguar Land Rover and retailers schemes around the world.

Further information

Jaguar Land Rover PR social channels:   

‑ Twitter:@JaguarLandRover 

LinkedIn:@JaguarLandRover   

 

For more information visit www.media.jaguarlandrover.com or contact:  

David Wrottesley

Global External Corporate Communications Manager

Corporate Affairs

dwrottes@jaguarlandrover.com

(0)7846 091 167

 

Notes to Editors

* 47,000 people both directly employed by Jaguar Land Rover and those employed by Jaguar Land Rover franchised retailers

 

About the Future Skills Programme

  • The skills programme will result in a total of 11,450 technicians in Jaguar Land Rover retailers around the world trained in electrification over the next one‑to‑three years
  • The company aims to deliver training for thousands of apprentices in the next three years, so the next generation has key skills including electrification and autonomous driving. This is in addition to nearly 10,000 Jaguar Land Rover and franchised retailer apprentices already in training around the world
  • Jaguar Land Rover already has one of the largest apprenticeship populations in the UK automotive sector and, through the Jaguar Land Rover Academy, invests approximately £20m each year in lifelong learning and development, with apprentices support the delivery of the company’s future vehicles learning key skills in autonomous driving and electrification
  • Another 249 UK based employees trained in data skills across the same period, in addition to the 1,890 staff members already upskilled in data capabilities

 

About Jaguar Land Rover electrification

  • Across our range of Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles we have a portfolio of electrified products, with every new and refreshed model line offering fully electric, plug‑in hybrid or mild hybrid variants. Customers can choose from eight plug‑in hybrid options and 11 mild hybrid options, as well as our multi award‑winning, battery electric Jaguar I‑PACE. 
  • Jaguar will become a pure‑electric luxury brand from 2025, realising its unique potential. In the next five years, Land Rover will welcome six all‑electric variants. As an electric‑first business, by the end of the decade every one of our models will be available as full BEV

 

About Jaguar Land Rover: Reimagining the future of modern luxury by design 

Jaguar Land Rover’s Reimagine strategy is delivering a sustainability‑rich vision of modern luxury by design.  

Our class‑leading, modern luxury Range Rover, Discovery, Defender and Jaguar vehicles are in demand around the world, with over 370,000 sold in 123 countries during fiscal year 2021/22. Electrified models accounted for around two thirds of units sold, thanks to a model range that embraces fully electric and hybrid electric technologies, as well as the latest petrol and diesel engines. 

We are transforming our business to become carbon net zero across our supply chain, products and operations by 2039 and have set a roadmap to reduce emissions across our own operations and value chains by 2030 through approved, science‑based targets. Electrification is central to this strategy, and all Jaguar and Land Rover nameplates will be available in pure electric form by the end of the decade. 

At heart we are a British company, with two major design and engineering sites, three vehicle manufacturing facilities, an Engine Manufacturing Centre and a Battery Assembly Centre in the UK. We also have vehicle plants in China, Brazil, India, Austria and Slovakia, as well as seven technology hubs across the globe.   

As a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Motors since 2008, Jaguar Land Rover has unrivalled access to leading global players in technology and sustainability within the wider Tata Group.