Automotive Academy chairman, and chief executive of Jaguar and Land Rover, Joe Greenwell has today (Tuesday 15 March) officially launched the Automotive Academy North West spoke.
Covering an area from Carlisle to Crewe, the newest Academy spoke will be hosted by the Northwest Automotive Alliance (NAA) in Leyland, Lancashire. The region is home to the second highest regional representation of automotive companies including some of the UK’s most efficient and productive vehicle manufacturing sites. Automotive companies in the region support an annual turnover of £9 billion, employing 43,000 people.
The launch event was attended by more than 140 industry guests at the Partnership for Learning centre next to Jaguar’s manufacturing plant at Halewood, and was hosted by rally champion and racing presenter Penny Mallory. Mr Greenwell was joined by Dr Alan Begg, Automotive Academy chief executive, Steven Broomhead, chief executive of the North West Development Agency and Stuart Heys of Leyland Trucks and chairman of the NAA.
Automotive Academy North West will champion ‘Academy Validated’ or ‘Industry Recommended’ training providers, courses and materials, targeted at the specific skills needs of the region’s automotive companies.
Commenting at the launch event, Dr Alan Begg said, ‘We are delighted to be here to launch the Automotive Academy North West. The region is home to globally renowned companies such as Jaguar, Bentley, Vauxhall and Leyland Trucks, supported by a strong supply chain. We are delighted to have their support as we start to make real progress in developing the region’s skills. The Academy is dedicated to ensuring that the UK automotive industry has access to globally competitive training. It is our job to make sure this happens.’