Jaguar First to give 11-17 year olds the opportunity from Jaguar to have driving lesson experience, not cheap though.

• Jaguar First scheme to educate young people on safe, responsible driving
• Launches at six venues across the UK
• 11-17 year-olds to get behind the wheel of a new Jaguar XE in environments which realistically represent public roads

The all-new Jaguar XE is achieving widespread praise from its first owners following its launch earlier this year, andfrom today the Jaguar sports saloon experience is offered to the next generation of drivers with the launch of ‘Jaguar First. 

This new scheme from Jaguar offers driving lesson experience days to 11-17 year-olds to help prepare them for their driving test and for driving safely and responsibly on public roads.

Jaguar First lessons start from just £45 and are available to book at www.jaguarfirst.com. The lessons offer under 17s a fun and safe way to experience driving a car, in a realistic on-the-road environment, with a focus on the skills and attitude needed to become a responsible driver.

Youngsters will drive a 2.0-litre, 180 PS diesel XE with automatic transmission, the most advanced and efficient sports saloon car that Jaguar has ever produced. Lessons will be delivered by government approved driving instructors in Jaguar XEs featuring dual controls.

Lesson content will mirror on road lessons for those with provisional licences, but will take place on specially designed private road systems at the following venues:

• Allianz Park, London
• Bath and West Showground, Bath
• Edgbaston Cricket Ground, Birmingham
• EventCity, Manchester
• Lingfield Park Racecourse, Surrey
• Ricoh Arena, Coventry

Once they’ve mastered the basics, youngsters will be able to progress to driving in two-way traffic, dealing with junctions and roundabouts, master turning and steering through slaloms and practice bay andreverse parking. At some venues, there will also be areas where drivers can safely experience the handling of the car at higher speeds of up to 40 miles an hour.

Research has shown that learning to drive responsibly from an earlier age lowers the risk of accidents. Four hundred people are killed each year in the UK in accidents involving young drivers, and one in five newly qualified drivers will crash their car within six months of passing their test. By extending the period of learning with a qualified instructor, and by introducing the concept at an age when they’re more receptive to safety messages, this figure can drop by more than half.

Mark Cameron, Jaguar Land Rover Experiential Marketing Director, said: “Jaguar First is about introducing young people to the concept of responsible driving, helping them in turn to become safer drivers, and also raising their awareness of safety as a pedestrian or cyclist. The XE is a great car for this, as it offers the very latest in technology and innovation, and is also ideal for helping teach young people about environmentally responsible driving.

“The lessons are also great fun and an exciting yet safe way to give new drivers a sense of what it’s like to be in control of a car. We have chosen venues across the country to give as many people as possible the opportunity to try their first drive in a Jaguar. Whether our customers choose a 30, 60 or 90 minute experience, they will spend the whole time in the car, driving.”

Jaguar land Rover to make life better for over 300,000 by assisting in providing safe clean water for these kids.

• New Global CSR project will give 300,000 school pupils in the Bungoma region of Kenya access to safe water, helping improve their health, education and employment prospects
• The project is being delivered by ClimateCare and Vestergaard, using the LifeStraw Community water purifiers, with the support of Jaguar Land Rover
• Jaguar Land Rover's Global CSR Programme has created opportunities for 2.9 million people since it was launched in 2013 and will positively impact 12 million people by 2020
• Jaguar Land Rover has supported CSR projects in 11 African countries, creating opportunities for 1.9 million African people since 2013

Jaguar Land Rover, one of the world's leading manufacturers of premium luxury vehicles, has launched a new project in Africa as part of its ambitious Global CSR Programme.

Jaguar Land Rover’s ambition is to achieve long-term responsible business growth by placing sustainability at the heart of its business strategy by reducing the environmental impact of its vehicles and operations and making a positive impact on society, all through ‘Environmental Innovation’. The company recently received a Queen's Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development for reducing the environmental impact of its vehicles and operations.

Jaguar Land Rover’s Global CSR Programme was launched in 2013 as part of its ‘Environmental Innovation’ strategy. The programme invests in education, technology, health, wellbeing and environmental projects which will positively impact 12 million people’s lives by 2020. The programme builds on the success of its UK education and sponsorship initiatives and will make a positive impact on communities in some of the 170 global countries it operates in.

Working with expert partners ClimateCare and Vestergaard, Jaguar Land Rover is investing in a new smart water filtration technology project that will provide over 300,000 pupils in 375 schools across Bungoma County with safe water. The project will run for the next five years, helping improve students’ health, education and employment prospects.  Teams of LifeStraw staff will visit the schools each term to see that they are used correctly and to carry out further education, as part of a robust monitoring process. During the launch week, a team of seven Jaguar Land Rover employees from the UK and South Africa participated in the distribution as part of the company's employee volunteering programme, visiting schools across the region to gain a deep insight into the LifeStraw safe water for schools programme.

Nigel Clarke, Operations Director of Jaguar Land Rover Sub-Saharan Africa said, “As a responsible business which is pioneering new technologies and innovations to reduce the impact of our vehicles, it makes sense for us to invest in new technologies which are tackling other sustainability issues around the world. These ambitions are embedded into the core of our business. That’s why we have set ourselves an ambitious target to create opportunities for 12 million people globally by 2020. Through our support, we hope to inspire and create opportunities for our future consumers and employees.

Africa is a key growth market for us. By supporting the provision of appropriate and effective water purifier technology we are creating opportunities for over 300,000 school-children in western Kenya – giving them the opportunity for a better education and greater opportunity to learn and excel. By 2020, we will create opportunities for three million people in Africa, which will reaffirm our commitment to grow our global business sustainably and responsibly.’ 

ClimateCare Director Tom Morton added, “At ClimateCare, our focus is on creating smart, integrated and cost effective programmes for our partners, using their investments to deliver maximum positive impact for people and the environment. This project to provide safe water to schools in Bungoma is a great example. Not only does it create an immediate, positive change, it will also leave a lasting legacy - supporting a better education for a whole generation of school children.”

Stephen Buchunju, Director of Visionary Academy in Bungoma Central, Kenya, who is also a primary school teacher, commented, "We are delighted to welcome Jaguar Land Rover, ClimateCare and Vestergaard staff to the school for the launch of this new project. Our children get illnesses such as typhoid and diarrhoea from dirty water which affects their education. The new LifeStraw Community filters will ensure we have a safe water supply which will improve their health and education prospects of our students and give them the best start to life."

Benjamin Masinde, aged 11, is in class 5 at Visionary Academy. Benjamin said, "I caught typhoid from dirty water at school last term and went to hospital. I was off school for a week which was bad as I don't want to miss any school so I can get good exam results and become an engineer. The new LifeStraw Community filters will make our water safe so we can all be healthy and never miss school."

New petition urges Schools to start teaching driving and driving standards in school - GREAT IDEA....

• Experts say 400 lives could be saved by teaching youngsters to drive from an earlier age
• People urged to sign the petition at https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/104632

Major motoring organisations and experts are backing a petition urging the Government to include driving on the school curriculum. The petition has been launched in a bid to help cut the high number of accidents involving newly qualified drivers on the UK’s roads. 

Launched by Young Driver, the UK’s largest provider of pre-17 driving lessons, the petition already has backing from the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), the RAC, the Driving Instructors Association (DIA), the Association of British Insurers (ABI), the Motor Schools Association of Great Britain (MSA), Admiral, Goodyear and Quentin Willson, motoring presenter and expert.

One in five new drivers has an accident within six months of passing their test and road traffic accidents account for 25 per cent of the deaths of 15-19 year olds in the UK, compared to just 0.5 per cent of the overall adult population. Every year 400 people are killed in accidents involving young drivers.

The petition does not propose lowering the age at which people can take to the roads, but instead suggests youngsters should start to be taught about driving at school, via both practical and classroom based lessons.

Independent research undertaken on behalf of Young Driver showed that past pupils of the scheme, which takes students from age 11, are half as likely to have an accident when they do pass their test. Pilot studies in Europe have also shown a 40 per cent reduction among novice driver groups who trained at school.

Kim Stanton from Young Driver explains: “Driving a vehicle is potentially one of the most dangerous and responsible things a person can do. Learning to drive should be done over a long period of time, and from a young age, when pupils are more receptive to safety messages. Evidence-based research shows that road safety messages are better absorbed by children in their early teens rather than at driving age.  By having this take place at school it can be made inclusive for all. We urge people to sign this petition so we can get this issue in front of the people with the power to change things.”

Mark Lewis, Director of Standards for the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), added: “The high number of accidents and the sad loss of life as a result of unprepared young drivers urgently needs to be tackled. Quite obviously the driving education that youngsters are currently receiving is inadequate. 

At the IAM we can help prepare people for more advanced driving situations once they have passed their test, but there needs to be more done at an earlier stage. Learning such an important skill shouldn’t potentially be done and dusted in a few short months. That’s why I strongly believe people should sign this petition and get the subject debated in the House of Commons.”

Quentin Willson, motoring expert and presenter, added: “Both my son, age 16, and daughter, age 11, have started having driving lessons with Young Driver. I think it’s vital – it’s a road safety revolution in the making. If we could get this on the curriculum, so the opportunity was open to all, it would have huge ramifications in terms of the safety of our young people. And, as both a father and road user, that’s certainly something I want to back. 100,000 signatures could help save 400 precious lives every year.”

To add your signature to the petition visit: 

TMW THOUGHT

This is a really great idea, with the cost of driving going through the roof, and kids just doing the basics to pass a test, before getting cars, and not knowing how to drive properly, school participation would be an ideal place to give kids of 15/16 a start, getting them to learn the highway code, the rights and wrongs, forward planning and observation, as well as a couple of lessons, on private land of course.

These kids, are all vocal about how great they are at everything, and how they can drive like Alonso, but recently at an Experience day (I had purchased an event for my partner), there were this group of kids all gobbing off, about being so great and so expert, how they were going to drive around faster than anyone else, yet all of them, without exception, got in their car, and drove around at about 20mph.

At one stage, they were going sooooooo slowly, they pulled all the other drivers off the course, so that they could get a proper drive after the kids had been finished with, and as each one got out of their car, they all looked sheepish and heads down, whilst everyone else just laughed - Kids these days just try to "BIG UP" themselves, and do everything to look cool, and it is these idiots that end up crashing, injuring and possibly killing people, so early intervention would be a great idea.

SO, PLEASE SIGN.....

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/104632

Rolls Royce continues government led initiative with a visit to a local School.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars recently visited East Preston Infant School as part of the Company’s commitment to the Government-led ‘See Inside Manufacturing’ initiative. The programme encourages manufacturers to engage with children and young people to inspire future British manufacturing talent and showcase career opportunities in the UK manufacturing sector.

More than 60 first year pupils, aged between five and six years old, enjoyed learning about how the Company’s super-luxury motor cars are created and also had the opportunity to experience a Rolls-Royce Phantom Extended Wheelbase at first hand. Questions were encouraged throughout the visit, particularly those linking to the current term topic of ‘Cinders’; the children concluding that modern-day Cinderella would indeed travel to the Ball in a Rolls-Royce!

The visit was especially important as it recognised the school’s new ‘Fine Motor Mechanics’ initiative, launched at the beginning of the current term. The unique after-school club aims to improve ‘fine motor’ co-ordination skills – actions that strengthen muscles to help with activities, such as writing and improve hand-eye co-ordination – using the mediums of mechanics and engineering. The pupils, dressed for the part in overalls and hard hats, undertake a range of fun and creative activities. The initial results are very encouraging, with participating pupils responding positively.

The ‘Fine Motor Mechanics’ team were given a personal tour of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Extended Wheelbase by Tom Lejasmeiers, who joined the Company as an Engineering Technician Apprentice in 2010. Tom successfully completed his apprenticeship in 2014 prior to joining the Analysis department as a valued member of the team. Tom tackled a range of challenging questions and took time to talk about the leading-edge technology behind many of the car’s unique features, such as the Bespoke Starlight Headliner.

Helen Cordell, Apprentice Manager, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said, “We were delighted to support a local school as part of the ‘See Inside Manufacturing’ initiative. The response from the pupils and particularly their interest in manufacturing was fantastic.” She continued, “We encourage our apprentices to take part in these activities, with two from the current programme – from the Woodshop and Leathershop – joining the team at East Preston Infant School.”

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has recently announced that the Company is seeking a record number of candidates for its 2015 Apprenticeship Programme. Sixteen places are available, the highest number of annual apprenticeships since the programme launched in 2006. 

The Programme provides people aged 16-24 with the opportunity to train with the Goodwood-based manufacturer of the world’s best-selling super-luxury cars. The successful applicants will join the programme in September 2015, working alongside skilled craftspeople in leather, wood, paint, engineering and assembly roles.

JLR invests £100M in new research centre

• Jaguar Land Rover confirms its commitment to research and development in the UK, with a multi-million pound investment in a new technology, innovation and education centre at the University of Warwick
• National Automotive Innovation Campus (NAIC) construction begins September 2014

The facility will open in 2016 and Jaguar Land Rover will double the size of its advanced research team
Jaguar Land Rover has unveiled details of its future plans for advanced research and development in the UK which will now be focused on a new cutting-edge technology, innovation and education centre in Warwick.

The National Automotive Innovation Campus (NAIC) is designed to create a large-scale collaborative research environment. It will bring academics from the UK’s leading universities together with researchers and engineers from Jaguar Land Rover and our supply chain, in a single, multi-purpose, state-of-the-art research facility.

Jaguar Land Rover is the lead partner in the project investing £50m, along with Tata Motors European Technical Centre (TMETC), WMG (Warwick Manufacturing Group ) and the UK Government’s Higher Education Funding Council England (HEFCE).

Construction of the nearly £100m NAIC is scheduled to begin in September 2014 at the University of Warwick.  Around 1000 academics, researchers, technologists and engineers will work in the building, which will feature engineering workshops and laboratories, advanced powertrain facilities and the latest advanced design, visualisation and rapid prototyping technologies.

The development of the new facility, which will complement Jaguar Land Rover’s product creation centres in Gaydon and Whitley, will be co-ordinated by Dr Wolfgang Epple, Jaguar Land Rover’s  Director of Research and Technology. In this new board-level role, Dr Epple is leading Jaguar Land Rover's innovation and advanced research initiatives and has been appointed a Honorary Fellow at WMG.

Dr. Wolfgang Epple, Director of Research and Technology, Jaguar Land Rover, said: “Investing in collaboration, innovation, research and education is vital if we want to be on a par with our international competitors.  Our future sales success, the success of our global business – and the UK economy – lies in the engineering and innovation that will take place in NAIC.

“Creating a new national focus for automotive research and consolidating Jaguar Land Rover’s growing research and advanced engineering operations in one centre offers us huge potential. With a critical mass of research capability we will put the UK at the very centre of the global automotive industry – with the NAIC at its hub.”

The development of the NAIC project is the next stage in Jaguar Land Rover’s long-term research strategy and builds on the success Jaguar Land Rover has enjoyed as part of its long-standing relationship with WMG at the University of Warwick. Nearly 200 Jaguar Land Rover researchers and engineers are currently based at WMG, collaborating with university experts on a number of projects.

Jaguar Land Rover expects that it will more than double the size of its advanced research team to 500 people by the time the NAIC opens in 2016.

Antony Harper, Jaguar Land Rover’s Head of Research, said: “We will announce the details of the specific research projects on which our NAIC research team will collaborate in due course, but these will be long-term, multi-disciplinary challenges – such as electrification, smart & connected cars and Human Machine Interface – which will help us create some key new technologies that will deliver a low-carbon future.

“These collaborative research programmes will harness the best of UK engineering innovation, and with the extra capability the NAIC gives us, you can expect the number and range of new, fresh innovative ideas that we patent, and then take to production in the future, will increase significantly.”

As well as the skills and knowledge that will be developed within these research projects, NAIC will have a key role in developing the skills of school children and engineering students, who will be able to use NAIC’s laboratories and a dedicated engineering education facility.

Dr. Wolfgang Epple added:  “Economic growth can only be sustained if we and our suppliers can find the right quality and quantity of skilled people.  We need to ensure that we are inspiring people to consider engineering and encourage a passion for science, technology and maths from a young age.

“The NAIC will become a centre of training and skills to help ensure we have enough young people wanting to develop a career in engineering and manufacturing. NAIC will also play a key role in nurturing the next generation of engineers and technologists.”