Howard Freeman is the first Masters student to graduate at the University of Warwick from a technology programme which trains staff from across Jaguar Land Rover (JLR).
From the shop floor to senior managers, and across all disciplines, the Technical Accreditation Scheme (TAS) is designed to develop employees’ skills to help create the next generation of vehicles.
JLR staff have now completed more than 200,000 hours of study in the new programme – clocking up 66,000 hours of class room training plus 135,000 hours of private study.
The TAS programme is designed for staff to take as many of the 80 modules as they wish, which can lead to the completion of an MSc.
Howard Freeman is an electrical integration engineer who lives in Leamington and works in JLR’s Electrical, Electronic & Software Engineering department in Gaydon.
He completed eight modules and a project ‘Novel New Product Development under a Time Pressured Schedule’ to be awarded his MSc in Automotive Technology.
Head of technical excellence at Jaguar Land Rover, Jo Lopes commented: “We’re delighted to see the first graduate from the Technical Accreditation Scheme.
“The development of our engineers is business critical to Jaguar Land Rover, ensuring continued innovation and technical excellence in the delivery of premium cars and all-terrain vehicles.
“The Technical Accreditation Scheme is our innovative and progressive approach to skills growth, making the most of the excellence of our university partners in delivering cutting-edge education.”
WMG Chairman, Professor Lord Bhattacharyya commented: “It’s wonderful to see the first graduate from the Technical Accreditation Scheme.
“It shows what individuals can achieve when their company is willing to invest in them.
“It’s vitally important, for British manufacturing, that we ensure we have an appropriately skilled workforce to be able to continue to compete on the world stage and improve the British economy.”
The programme is fully funded by JLR and with more than 80 modules to choose from across 10 universities, it allows staff to tailor their programme of study. There are currently 3,800 Jaguar Land Rover staff on TAS modules.
Modules cover areas such as Powertrain Design; Hybrids; Computer Simulation; Electronics; Sustainable Product Design; Quality Tools and Project management can be all taken separately or combined to form a qualification, up to and including an MSc or EngD from one of the partner universities.
The Scheme is fully endorsed by the Royal Academy of Engineering and accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the Institution of Engineering and Technology, and The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining.
The scheme also supports the UK Automotive Industrial strategy published by Government in July 2013.
