College Delivers Electric Skills Boost to Jaguar Land Rover

UK employees of luxury car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) have been returning to the classroom and workshop to support the company’s switch to all electric vehicles by 2030.

This year around 800 employees will attend upskilling sessions at the MIRA Technology Institute (MTI) Campus of North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College (NWSLC) where they will be immersed in the principles of electric.

The project involved the creation of a bespoke five-day upskilling course through the close collaboration between JLR Electrification Technical Specialists, electrical engineering colleagues from within the JLR Academy and NWSLC. It is designed to support JLR’s ‘Reimagine’ strategy which has electrification at its heart and is being delivered in partnership with Coventry University to provide upskilling in electrification for JLR’s Powertrain team. Employees will engage in five days of CPD on the fundamentals of electric power at the MTI in preparation for intermediate training at Coventry University.

Under the Reimagine Strategy, Jaguar Land Rover is training 29,000 people over the next three years, increasing its electrification and digital skills to and develop the next generation of fully connected modern luxury vehicles for its clients. Student feedback has been positive with course delegates commenting on the ‘energy and enthusiasm of the lecturers’, the ‘stimulating and mentally challenging’ subject matter, and the ‘fantastic’ lab facilities at the MTI.

One student said, “As a working engineer, this course took me back to university level learning and challenged my intellectual capacity to a very high level. At the end of the training, I was more than satisfied with the level of training I received, and the knowledge I have gained on electric vehicle architecture and the fundamental concepts behind it.”

Another student commented, “A takeaway for me was confidence in learning new things, especially as dependency on transmissions reduces, and not being afraid to get involved and learn more about different components and products.”

Bryanne Mosavian, Assistant Principal at NWSLC said, “We are delighted to be working with Coventry University on this opportunity to support the sustainable direction of JLR as it makes its contribution to the UK’s Net Zero ambitions. Employees are learning the theory of electrification in the classroom and testing their knowledge in the workshop at our specialist automotive skills training campus, the MTI.

The clean technology agenda means that everyone who works in the sector increasingly need to approach familiar tasks in a completely new way. This is challenging because the technology is still relatively new, and much of the workforce is getting to grips with new types of risk within a high voltage electrical environment. We hope that our CPD sessions at the MTI will raise awareness and boost understanding of the potential of electrification for JLR and the wider community.”

The MTI, which was set up five years ago to help address and support the training challenges facing the automotive sector, is the result of a unique collaboration led by North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College, and its partners, HORIBA MIRA, Coventry University, the University of Leicester, and Loughborough University. It is helping to deliver specialist skills in emerging technology areas including electrification and driverless cars.

Marion Plant, OBE FCGI, Chair of the MTI Operations Board, and Principal and Chief Executive North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College said, “We are delighted to be working with JLR and Coventry University on this project which will bring incredible benefits to the Jaguar Land Rover workforce. This type of project is exactly what the MTI was designed to deliver, and I am confident that the programme will help JLR to sustain its ambition to become a net zero carbon business by 2039.”