Employer of the Year Award
(250+ employees)

With 450 apprentices in the UK Dealer Network, Land Rover is currently one of the largest employers of apprentices in the automotive industry. The company believes that higher vehicle complexity and consumer choice mean that it is essential to have a highly skilled pool of workers. Consequently, Land Rover has invested in three state-of-the-art training centres.
 
Land Rover has shown an innovative approach to training through its unique on-line system known as IAG, which combines elements of recruitment, selection and initial assessment. This programme blends off-the-job training, distance and e-learning, and workplace assessment. Key Skills and technical certificate elements are integrated to maximise full framework achievement. After completion of their training, Land Rover tracks the progress of the former apprentices through its annual alumni survey.
 
The Land Rover system has been successful on many levels, but the company is particularly proud to have driven Apprenticeship drop out rates down to just 9%, reflecting the loyalty of its apprentices. As evidence of its success, Land Rover’s dealer apprentice training system is now being mirrored in South Africa, China and Spain, with talks ongoing to set up similar training systems in Russia and India.
 
Successful Land Rover dealer apprentices are also lucky enough to enjoy the extraordinary community projects that Premier Automotive Group (PAG), which owns Land Rover, organises for the company’s top apprentices. Earlier this year, Land Rover’s finest apprentices were given the opportunity to visit Tanzania and Peru. These trips have been tremendously successful and many of the apprentices have maintained contact with the friends they made during the trips.

Dr Adrian Birch, Land Rover’s Manager of Training Delivery, says:

“Apprenticeship training has resulted in real and measurable benefits for Land Rover. For example, training high caliber young apprentices has been crucial to stemming a shortage of specialist Land Rover dealership staff, improving our car dealer profitability and customer service. Land Rover dealerships exceeded profit targets in 2005 and, according to a NOP survey the same year, customer satisfaction with Land Rover was up 5% - a testament to our highly skilled workforce.”