Jaguar Land Rover announces major training programme

Jaguar Land Rover has announced a global upskilling drive. The move is necessary to train 29,000 people during the next three years in the company’s connected and data capabilities. The training will support JLR’s rapid transition to electrification.

The company’s Future Skills Programme will involve over 10,000 Jaguar Land Rover and franchised retailer employees in the UK. Training centres on skills vital to electrification, digital and autonomous cars. Similar training will be rolled out to almost 19,000 other employees across the rest of the world.

Developing Workforces

Barbara Bergmeier, Jaguar Land Rover industrial operations executive director, said: “Our plans to electrify our product portfolio are moving swiftly, and we are rapidly scaling up our future skills training programme which will 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 in the UK and abroad.”

Around 80% of nearly 1,300 franchised Jaguar Land Rover retailers globally offer electric vehicle servicing, so to tackle the skills gaps, the company is ensuring the majority of servicing technicians receive electrification training this year.

Transferring Skills

Jaguar Land Rover also plans to retrain thousands of highly skilled engineering colleagues with experience in the development of internal combustion cars, to transfer their skills towards electrification, digital and autonomous cars.

As production of electric vehicles gathers pace at plants, it has been recognised that employees at all levels will require training. This will ensure they are equipped to work safely alongside high voltage systems.

Karl ’Freddy’ Gunnarsson, a Jaguar Land Rover lead cell engineer, 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.”