British PM meets gen next at JLR’s global HG

On July 22, Jaguar Land Rover saw British prime minister David Cameron visit its global headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, where he met with apprentices and graduates who have recently joined the company.

During the visit Mr Cameron announced a £25 million fund that will support the creation of additional apprenticeship places that will help businesses offer enhanced opportunities to inspire the next generation of talented engineers. Prime minister David Cameron said: “Jaguar Land Rover is a brilliant example of a business that is investing in skills for the future. It is time to re-industrialise the UK so that means more hi-tech jobs - that’s what’s happening here at Jaguar Land Rover.”

Dr Ralf Speth, Jaguar Land Rover, CEO, said: “It’s great to see government continuing to support apprenticeships with this initiative. We are dedicated to the training and development of our employees and our award-winning apprentice scheme has been developing a generation of engineers for many years. We work very closely with schools and academic institutions across the UK to help inspire and create the next generation of engineers and technologists. It is these apprentices – and graduates – who will ultimately help drive and shape the future of our business.”

More than 100 apprentices have joined Jaguar Land Rover’s own apprentice scheme this year, starting their career in the fields of manufacturing, engineering and technology with an initial 36 to 42-month training programme. This is in addition to this year’s graduate intake of more than 330, who have recently started their careers at the UK’s largest manufacturer of premium luxury vehicles.

Mr Cameron’s visit also comes as Jaguar Land Rover is in the process of recruiting 1,300 new employees, including 1,000 engineers, as part of the company’s ambitious growth strategy, which will see 40 significant product actions introduced in the next five years. These plans include all-new vehicles and powertrain upgrades.

In addition to meeting employees, David Cameron was able to view Jaguar and Land Rover products and have a short drive in the Range_e, an advanced plug-in hybrid vehicle capable of delivering less than 89g/km and 85mpg/36kpl.