Land Rover has announced that it is to create 600 new jobs, mostly in engineering, in a drive to develop sustainable technologies and increase the environmental performance of its cars.
It will invest £700 million into the initiative, the main focus of which is to find degree-educated engineers to work in product development on “a variety of ground-breaking projects.”
The moves follow the acquisition of the company, Jaguar Land Rover, by the Indian firm Tata, in March.
David Smith, Jaguar Land Rover CEO, said: “This recruitment drive demonstrates Jaguar Land Rover’s confidence in our future. With our new owners, we have entered an exciting era with stunning new models and ambitious technologies. I can’t remember a better time to be part of the British car industry, and certainly it is a brilliant time for Jaguar Land Rover.”
Landrover is looking to new environmental technology to steer its sales away from the poor market performance that has, in recent months, been synonymous with a four by four industry hit by a consumer trend towards ‘greener’ vehicles. The downturn has been intensified by the rising cost of fuel, with ‘gas guzzlers’ becoming unaffordable to run for many drivers, on top of challenging forecourt prices and elevated road tax.
Export sales have remained strong for the company however, with Land Rover’s UK faction claiming two Queen’s Awards for Enterprise in April, after boosting sales abroad by 52 per cent and almost £4 billion per year.
As part of the recruitment drive, in September the company are set to take on 80 graduates under two-year development programmes. This follows other graduate recruitment schemes of 60 and 25 staff already this year.
Des Thurlby, Jaguar Land Rover’s HR Director, added: “The campaign is up and running and Jaguar Land Rover will be targeting a number of different employment sectors to attract top quality candidates. We shall also be working through a variety of channels from press advertisements to the graduate milkround, and a new dedicated recruitment website. The work on offer is cutting-edge and the rewards impressive. This business has a bright future and we think it will be a very attractive place to work for the best in our industry here in the UK.”
Jaguar Land Rover currently employs 16,000 people in the UK and has production plants across the Midlands and Merseyside.
