Jaguar Land Rover to Boost Apprentice Schemes

LONDON – February 7, 2011: As National Apprentice Week commences, Jaguar Land Rover has announced that it will double the number of Advanced (Level 3) Apprenticeship places available during 2011 and that the 1500 new recruits currently joining the workforce at Jaguar Land Rover's Halewood plant to build the new Range Rover Evoque will be trained up to an Intermediate (Level 2) Apprenticeship.

Jaguar Land Rover HR Director, Des Thurlby, said: "The Jaguar Land Rover business is at the leading edge of research and development of exciting new products and technologies. 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 are delighted that we have been able to double the intake of Advanced Apprentices in 2011 to 104 places. In the last five years more than 200 Apprentices have joined the company to complete a course which aims to deliver the very best quality programme to educate, inform and empower young people. These individuals will ultimately help drive the future of our business."

The Intermediate Apprentice scheme for the 1500 new recruits at Halewood has been developed in collaboration with NAS (National Apprenticeship Service) and SEMTA (the Sector Skills Council for science, engineering and manufacturing technologies in the UK.)

The first stream of new employees has just commenced their intensive Apprentice training at Halewood. All of the 1500 new employees joining the production line will be given high quality training that will help them work towards a nationally recognised qualification - the Intermediate (Level 2) Apprenticeship.

The training is being carried out in partnership with the National Apprenticeship Service in the North West (NAS) and starts with a high quality, intensive nine day induction and training programme. This induction training will roll into a further nine month training schedule that will result in greater understanding of lean manufacturing techniques, motivation, quality of work and innovation.

Richard Else, Operations Director at Jaguar Land Rover, Halewood, said: "As our new vehicles become more sophisticated and more luxurious, and as the business strives to

reach ever higher quality standards, we recognise that we need to continue to invest in a highly trained workforce. The support of the National Apprentice Service programme will not only help provide the best training but it will also give our new employees a nationally recognised qualification at the same time."

This significant workforce development project highlights Jaguar Land Rover's commitment to training and has been developed to ensure ultimate quality and time efficient delivery for the launch of the new Range Rover Evoque this summer.

Sue Price, Regional Director for the National Apprenticeship Service said: "The flagship government policies of developing greener transport and Apprenticeships have come together in this new initiative at Halewood and it is the largest single Apprenticeship programme of its kind in the country."

“This is an excellent endorsement for Apprenticeships and demonstrates that as a large employer Jaguar Land Rover fully understands the benefits that Apprenticeships bring to the workforce. It is a fantastic opportunity for residents of the North West to receive high quality training to develop the skills they’ll need to progress in the manufacturing industry.”

Apprenticeships are the government’s flagship programme for workforce development and will play an integral role in this fantastic manufacturing triumph for Merseyside and the North West region.