OREANDA-NEWS. Jaguar Land Rover graduate programme is the highest-ranked programme from an automotive manufacturer in the Times Top 100 List of Graduate Employers.

Jaguar Land Rover has today underlined its commitment to developing the necessary skills needed to secure the future of the UK automotive industry with the recruitment of a further 273 graduates. The 2013 intake was joined on its first day with the company by 19 graduates recruited by Jaguar Land Rover's National Sales Companies in South Africa, the USA, China, Australia and Europe. This latest tranche of graduates takes the total number recruited in the last three years to almost 1,000.

Recruited from many of the country's leading academic institutions, the new graduates are joining at an exciting juncture in the company's rich history. Today, Jaguar Land Rover is the UK's largest premium automotive manufacturer representing two of the most iconic British motoring marques that are reaching global consumers in more markets than ever before thanks to a truly engaging product line-up.

Dr Ralf Speth, Jaguar Land Rover CEO, said: “Jaguar Land Rover's drive towards excellence in research, design and innovation has seen us invest heavily in our business but our future success lies in our ability to deliver even more advanced and sustainable products.

“This can only be achieved through a continued commitment to the next generation of innovators who will lead the advancement of technologies required to shape the future of our company and the wider automotive industry.”

In July, Jaguar Land Rover was named Responsible Business of the Year by Business in the Community for, amongst other things, its role in championing the agenda around the advancement of skills and development of young people. And as the highest ranking automotive manufacturer in The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers index, Jaguar Land Rover certainly has a proven track record in developing the future generation of engineers, buyers, marketeers and financiers needed to support its ambitious growth plans.

One such graduate is Cora Moffat who is about to begin her second year of the programme working in chassis development. She said: “During my first year on the graduate programme I have been able to use the engineering knowledge gained at university in a real business environment. From early on in the scheme I have been given a role with real responsibility and I can see how decisions I make influence the company.”

She continues: “I love the variation in my job role. No two days are the same and I am given the freedom to develop my skills in many areas with the support and encouragement of my colleagues. It has been a great year and I look forward to the next!”

During their first day with the company the graduates took part in an in-depth introductory programme where they met with members of the Jaguar Land Rover board, familiarised themselves with the latest vehicle line-up and had a glimpse at some of the products of the future. They also received an inspirational speech on teamwork, commitment and leadership from the performance director of British Cycling and team principal of Team Sky, Sir David Brailsford.

Sir David Brailsford is credited as one of the principal architects in transforming Great Britain's track fortunes over the last decade. Under his leadership, Team GB has become the most successful track cycling team in modern history with numerous victories at the Athens, Beijing and London Olympics.

Speaking to graduates, Sir David Brailsford said: “ You are about to embark on a new career with a company currently at the forefront of automotive design, technology and engineering excellence. Throughout my career in cycling, I have been at the cutting-edge of human performance, understanding the need for a strong team that is fully committed and motivated to achieving the highest possible performance.

“This mind-set and approach that is so fundamental to our success at Team Sky is also highly relevant when it comes to Jaguar Land Rover graduates achieving the most and enjoying their future careers.”

The Jaguar Land Rover graduate programme is designed to provide the perfect blend of personal and professional development, along with opportunities to network with other graduates and build relationships across the entire business. Graduates joining Jaguar Land Rover will be allocated a home department based on their specialism but will, over the course of the two-year programme, have an opportunity to gain experience in a number of functions from product development and purchasing to logistics and finance.