To support Jaguar Land Rover’s rapid transition to electric vehicles (EVs) it today announces a global upskilling drive. It plans to train 29,000 people in the next three years for its connected and data capabilities.
The company’s Future Skills Programme will see more than 10,000 Jaguar Land Rover and franchised retailer employees in the UK. Plus, nearly 19,000 across the rest of the world will be trained in skills vital to electrification, digital and autonomous cars.
This underlines the company’s commitment to developing its future engineering and manufacturing skills and supports the delivery of Jaguar Land Rover’s net zero targets.
Barbara Bergmeier, Jaguar Land Rover Industrial Operations Executive Director, said: “Our plans to electrify our product portfolio are running at pace, and we are rapidly scaling up our future skills training programme to 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 here in the UK and abroad.”
The Future Skills Programme is key to the success of Jaguar Land Rover’s Reimagine strategy, which will see all Jaguar and Land Rover modern luxury cars available in pure electric form by the end of the decade.
Currently, around 80 percent of nearly 1,300 franchised Jaguar Land Rover retailers around the world offer electric vehicle servicing. To tackle the skills gaps, the company is ensuring the majority of servicing technicians will receive electrification training this year.
As well as technicians, Jaguar Land Rover plans to retrain thousands of highly skilled automotive engineers and production employees, who previously worked on the development of internal combustion cars, to specialise in electrification, digital and autonomous cars.
It’s good to see companies not only transitioning to electric vehicles but getting on top of it by preparing the next generation of workers. In the next five years, Land Rover will welcome six pure electric variants through its three families of Range Rover, Discovery and Defender. The first all-electric variant will arrive in 2024.
Jaguar and Land Rover will both offer pure electric power, nameplate by nameplate, by 2030. By this time, in addition to 100 percent of Jaguar sales, it is anticipated that around 60 percent of Land Rovers sold will be equipped with zero tailpipe powertrains. Jaguar Land Rover aims to achieve net-zero carbon emissions across its supply chain, products and operations by 2039.
As the production of electric cars at Jaguar Land Rover plants ramps up, plant employees at all levels will require training. This is to ensure they can work safely alongside the high voltage systems in electric vehicles.
Karl ’Freddy’ Gunnarsson, a Jaguar Land Rover Lead Cell Engineer, was part of the Emissions After Treatment team in his first role, working on diesel catalytic converters. He joined the Battery Cell Team in January.
One aspect of the work is Gunnarsson and his team are working to increase the energy density of Jaguar Land Rover batteries to maximise the vehicle range. This is partly achieved by changing the cell format which allows for packing more cells into the battery, and by upgrading the cell chemistry.
Karl Gunnarsson, 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.
“I was able to dedicate around 30 percent 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.”
To ensure the next generation are also equipped with future skills, the company is bolstering its global apprenticeship programme by adding a further 1,200 apprentices to the Jaguar Land Rover and retailers schemes around the world.
