JLR investment is "excellent news" for county

Jaguar Land Rover has announced plans to recruit 5,000 new staff to power an expansion of its autonomous and electric technology projects.

Many of those jobs will be at the company's sites at Gaydon in Warwickshire and the neighbouring West Midlands.

And with 1,000 of the 5,000 new staff set to be electronic and software engineers, the expansion is excellent news for Warwickshire in particular.

That recruitment target area dovetails perfectly with the county's workforce which is already recognised as a world-leader in that sector, says Dave Ayton-Hill, Warwickshire County Council's Economy and Skills Group Leader.

"Every year there is a greater overlap between the digital sector and the manufacturing centre and that is great news for Warwickshire," said Mr Ayton-Hill. "Our digital sector is world-renowned and as a leader in low-carbon technology and autonomous vehicles, the county is perfectly placed to benefit from the this new investment from JLR.

"That one of the biggest companies in the world clearly sees Warwickshire as a desirable long-time location is excellent news in itself."

JLR, which is owned by India's Tata Motors, employs more than 40,000 people globally and has indicated that half of all its new models will be available in an electric version by the end of the decade, necessitating new skills among its staff.

Warwickshire is well-equipped to meet the challenges of delivering that objective, believes Mr Ayton-Hill - to the benefit of the county's economy as a whole.

"With the reputation for skills and innovation we already have in the sector, allied to all the training and apprenticeships which are developing the next generation of engineers, the future looks very bright," he said. "It is no surprise that companies, large and small, from all over the world are finding Warwickshire a highly attractive prospect as a business base."