Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), which employs around 4,000 people at its plant in Halewood, Merseyside, has announced a partnership with training platform Multiverse to offer more than 400 UK staff a specialist course in computer programming and data analysis.
The 15-month training programme begins with basics including fundamental database skills and how analysis is used throughout the industry.
It goes on to touch on specialist areas including machine learning and two ‘hackathons’. These are effectively collaborative races to produce a functioning piece of software in a short time window, promoting teamwork while simultaneously providing valuable experience in working under pressure.
JLR chief data officer Clive Benford said: “The management and utilisation of increasingly high volumes of data in this new era will be central to Jaguar Land Rover’s future. We need to create a data-first mindset that will support our growth, enhance the customer experience and increase the productivity and expertise of our teams.
“The primary goal of our partnership with Multiverse is to empower all our employees to utilise data, gain insights from it and develop valuable solutions.”
The programme is “one of the largest data apprenticeship programmes ever launched in the UK,” according to Multiverse founder, CEO and Prime Ministerial offspring Euan Blair.
The focus on education is a key tenet of JLR’s Reimagine strategy, which aims to establish the two brands as leaders in the luxury EV market. Land Rover’s first electric car – a Range Rover EV – will arrive in 2024 and Jaguar will be relaunched as an EV-only luxury brand the following year.
JLR reported a loss of more than £500 million in the first quarter of the 2022 financial year, primarily because parts shortages significantly limited its capacity to produce the new Range Rover and Range Rover Sport.
