Land Rover jobs in Solihull attract more than 8,000 applicants

The new jobs at the Jaguar Land Rover plant were described as "well paid with great benefits"

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has received more than 8,000 applications after launching a recruitment campaign for 1,000 new jobs a week ago.

The new posts are being created at the company's Land Rover plant in Solihull, West Midlands, where nearly 5,000 people currently work.

The firm said it was "pleased" with the quality of applicants for the production and skilled trades jobs.

JLR, owned by Indian firm Tata, hopes to boost production over five years.

Corporate posts

Des Thurlby, human resources director at JLR, said: "We shall run a vigorous selection process and we encourage people to continue to apply via our website. All applicants will receive a response.

"Jaguar Land Rover is a very exciting place to be and despite what some may say, there is tremendous engineering talent in the UK and particularly in the West Midlands."

The company has an ambition to deliver "40 significant product actions over the next five years", which could include new models or derivatives of existing cars.

The new jobs will increase the plant's workforce by more than 25%.

JLR said the announcement meant that this year more than 3,500 jobs had been or were being recruited for, including corporate posts in financing and purchasing.

In April the company announced plans for 1,000 engineering jobs in the West Midlands region, with the majority of people now in position at Whitley and Gaydon.

New factory

About 1,500 apprenticeship jobs have been created at Halewood, Merseyside.

The group HQ is based in Warwickshire, with Land Rover vehicles manufactured in Solihull and at Halewood.

Jaguars are produced by the same group - owned by Indian car manufacturer Tata - at its Castle Bromwich site in Birmingham.

In September JLR said it was to create up to 750 jobs at a new factory on a site near Wolverhampton on the Staffordshire-Wolverhampton border.

The luxury car maker is spending £355m to build low-emission engines on a 120-hectare site at a business park near the M54. Work at the site is due to start early next year.