The investment is on top of the £2bn worth of supply contracts it has already awarded to over 40 UK parts suppliers, which it announced a year ago.

JLR clearly took a cautious view of demand for the Evoque’s when it began production last year at its Halewood plant, in Merseyside. It thought it might have a smash-hit on its hands, but it refused to commit to an expensive expansion until it was sure the demand was there. However, actual orders have surpassed even JLR’s most ambitious expectations.

The Evoque has been a spectacular success since its launch in September 2011. The new model has been particularly popular in overseas markets and in total over 60,000 cars have been sold so far.

The success of the Evoque meant that JLR has already previously announced 1,000 new jobs at its Halewood plant. The plant now operates 24 hours a day and will employ 4,500 people - three times the workforce employed there in 2009.

Some of the extra billion will go into operating a new purpose-made logistics facility in Ellesmere Port, which will open in summer “to support the global sales success of both the Evoque and Land Rover Freelander 2,” according to a JLR statement today.

Logistics company DHL will manage the new site when it opens, which is where the 300 extra jobs will go.

JLR CEO Dr Ralf Speth said:

“Today’s announcements demonstrate JLR’s strong products and clear ambition for continued growth. The demand we have seen across the globe for the Range Rover Evoque means we are able to significantly increase what we spend with our suppliers, which is great news for the UK economy, and the thousands of jobs JLR supports in its supply chain. “

Further Information

Jenrick Engineering is a recruitment partner for many of the leading Engineering Corporations within the UK, providing an array of contract and permanent job opportunities for engineers who operate within this sector.

If you would like to explore job opportunities in this sector, or wish to seek advice regarding recruiting contractors or permanent staff, please contact our offices at Burton on Trent (on 01283 548 121) or Crick, Northampton (on 01788 824555).

Article Source: autoblog.com

“We have focused on this part of the recruitment process for a number of years. Often when recruiting for technical experts; employers and recruiters neglect the personality ‘type’ required to successfully add value.

We have been advising our clients and conducting interview coaching workshops to assist with clearly identifying what non-technical skills are vital to the success of the teams and the organisation.

Jenrick IT offer job description authoring services as a complimentary value add. This is a service which quite a few of our client partners have trialled and enjoyed the results”

Inc.com have reported on what some clients look for, when on boarding talent:

Great employees are reliable, dependable, proactive, diligent, great leaders and great followers… they possess a wide range of easily-defined-but hard to find-qualities.

A few hit the next level. Some employees are remarkable, possessing qualities that may not appear on performance appraisals but nonetheless make a major impact on performance.

Forget good to great. Here are eight qualities of remarkable employees:

1. They ignore job descriptions. The smaller the company, the more important it is that employees can think on their feet, adapt quickly to shifting priorities, and do whatever it takes, regardless of role or position, to get things done.

When a key customer’s project is in jeopardy, remarkable employees know without being told there’s a problem and jump in without being asked-even if it’s not their job.

2. They’re eccentric… The best employees are often a little different: quirky, sometimes irreverent, even delighted to be unusual. They seem slightly odd, but in a really good way. Unusual personalities shake things up, make work more fun, and transform a plain-vanilla group into a team with flair and flavor.

People who aren’t afraid to be different naturally stretch boundaries and challenge the status quo, and they often come up with the best ideas.

3. But they know when to dial it back. An unusual personality is a lot of fun… until it isn’t. When a major challenge pops up or a situation gets stressful, the best employees stop expressing their individuality and fit seamlessly into the team.

Remarkable employees know when to play and when to be serious; when to be irreverent and when to conform; and when to challenge and when to back off. It’s a tough balance to strike, but a rare few can walk that fine line with ease.

4. They publicly praise… Praise from a boss feels good. Praise from a peer feels awesome, especially when you look up to that person.

Remarkable employees recognize the contributions of others, especially in group settings where the impact of their words is even greater.

5. And they privately complain. We all want employees to bring issues forward, but some problems are better handled in private. Great employees often get more latitude to bring up controversial subjects in a group setting because their performance allows greater freedom.

Remarkable employees come to you before or after a meeting to discuss a sensitive issue, knowing that bringing it up in a group setting could set off a firestorm.

6. They speak when others won’t. Some employees are hesitant to speak up in meetings. Some are even hesitant to speak up privately.

An employee once asked me a question about potential layoffs. After the meeting I said to him,

“Why did you ask about that? You already know what’s going on.

” He said, “I do, but a lot of other people don’t, and they’re afraid to ask. I thought it would help if they heard the answer from you.”

Remarkable employees have an innate feel for the issues and concerns of those around them, and step up to ask questions or raise important issues when others hesitate.

7. They like to prove others wrong. Self-motivation often springs from a desire to show that doubters are wrong. The kid without a college degree or the woman who was told she didn’t have leadership potential often possess a burning desire to prove other people wrong.

Education, intelligence, talent, and skill are important, but drive is critical. Remarkable employees are driven by something deeper and more personal than just the desire to do a good job.

8. They’re always fiddling. Some people are rarely satisfied (I mean that in a good way) and are constantly tinkering with something: Reworking a timeline, adjusting a process, tweaking a workflow.

Great employees follow processes. Remarkable employees find ways to make those processes even better, not only because they are expected to… but because they just can’t help it.

FURTHER INFORMATION

If you need advice on hiring the best talent within your organisation please contact Jenrick IT, Award winning IT Recruitment consultancy on 01932 245 500.

Article Source: inc.com

British cereal favourite Weetabix is to come under Chinese ownership after a deal involving the Asian country’s biggest overseas food takeover.

Shanghai firm Bright Food will take a majority 60% share of the Weetabix Food Company, placing a £1.2 billion value on the cereal giant, while current private equity owner Lion Capital will retain a 40% stake.

The deal values Weetabix, which is produced in the small town of Burton Latimer, near Kettering, Northamptonshire, at £1.2bn.

Northampton-based Weetabix, which also owns Alpen and Ready Brek, was founded in 1932 and was family owned until 2004 when it was bought by a Texan private equity firm.

State-backed Bright Food, which generated revenues of around £7.5 billion last year, is looking to take advantage of China’s “growing appetite” for healthy foods and to drive Weetabix’s growth across Asia.

Zongnan Wang, Bright Food chairman, said:

“With Bright Food’s strong resources and our expertise in both the Chinese and broader international markets, we are excellently placed to develop the Weetabix business.”

Bright Food in 2010 considered a £2 billion deal to buy United Biscuits, the company behind Hula Hoops and Jaffa Cakes, but the talks fell through.  In 2011, Bright Food had revenues of $ 12.2bn.

Weetabix Food Company, the UK’s second biggest cereal manufacturer, exports to more than 80 countries, employs nearly 2,000 people and generates annual sales of more than £420 million.

Lyndon Lea, a partner at Lion Capital, said:

“We are excited to continue our journey with the Weetabix brand, which has been an enormously successful investment, as we extend the business into China in partnership with Bright Food.”

The cereal is the latest in a long line of western food groups that have fallen prey to the Chinese. Last year Bright Food bought a 75% stake in Australia’s Manassen Food for more than $500m and its dairy business bought a 51% stake in New Zealand diary Synlait.

The Weetabix cereal alone accounted for 7% of the UK’s cereal sales, with annual figures of £100 million.

Weetabix chief executive Giles Turrell said:

“While the company’s focus has been on reinforcing and building on our leading position in the UK, I believe there are also substantial opportunities to further grow the business internationally, in North America, Asia and beyond.”

The transaction is subject to regulatory and government approvals in China, although completion of the deal is expected in the second half of the year.

More information:

Jenrick Engineering is a recruitment partner for many of the leading Engineering Corporations within the UK, providing an array of contract and permanent job opportunities for engineers who operate within this sector.

If you would like to  explore job opportunities in this sector, or wish to seek advice regarding recruiting contractors or permanent staff, please contact our offices at Burton on Trent (on 01283 548 121) or Crick, Northampton (on 01788 824555).

Article Source: foodmanufacture.co.uk

The report, Renewable Energy: Made in Britain, from the Renewable Energy Association (REA) and Innovas is the first to bring together turnover and employment figures for the entire renewables supply chain.

Since 2009/10, the sector has increased by 11% in market value, well outstripping the overall economic growth rate of 1.4% during the same period.

The report says that meeting the UK’s renewable energy targets by 2020 will displace fossil fuels worth £60 billion, most of which are imported into the UK, giving a significant boost to the country’s trade balance.

“Harnessing our renewables creates employment and means that rather than spending money on energy imports we can keep it circulating in the UK economy,” explains REA chief executive Gaynor Hartnell.

But she says that the government must ensure that the UK has the necessary skills base to meet these job opportunities and it must take action now.

Employment figures within the industry should be recorded annually by the Office for National Statistics and a national strategy should be developed, recommends the report.

A minister with a renewable energy remit should also be appointed within the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

The report does praise the government for its efforts in offshore wind and marine renewables, but says a framework is needed to link up all the departments involved.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change’s (DECC) Office for Renewable Energy Deployment should be relaunched as a cross-departmental office chaired by the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister.

“When it comes to the employment, economic and energy challenges we face the answer is clear - make it renewable and make it in Britain,” says Hartnell.

Climate Change Minister Greg Barker has responded to the report commenting:

“The REA’s report sets out plainly the opportunities and challenges in this area. We are determined to seize the momentum and secure maximum benefit for the UK.”

Further Information

Jenrick Engineering is a recruitment partner for many of the leading Engineering Corporations within the UK, providing an array of contract and permanent job opportunities for engineers who operate within this sector.

If you would like to  explore job opportunities in this sector, or wish to seek advice regarding recruiting contractors or permanent staff, please contact our offices at Burton on Trent (on 01283 548 121) or Crick, Northampton (on 01788 824555).

Article Source: energyefficiencynews.com

However, according to the Harris Barometer Survey conducted by the Food and Drink Federation (FDF), 45% of the people agreed that a career in the UK food manufacturing industry offers stable and secure employment.

The survey results also revealed that a further 40% of the people noted that food manufacturing industry provides promising career prospects.

The survey, which was conducted in Spring 2012, involved 1100 people.

FDF Director of Competiveness Angela Coleshill said that FDF is pleased with these findings as it reveals that the industry is an exciting and stable sector to work in.

“We employ some of the most innovative people and with a variety of roles from creating, developing, researching and marketing new products - the food industry is a great place to work,” Coleshill added.

“We are extremely pleased with these findings as it demonstrates that the industry is an exciting and stable sector to work in.

As part of the FDF’s 20/20 vision for growth, we have acknowledged that one of the key challenges is to deliver a sustainable growth of 20% by 2020 - by attracting the best talent to our industry.  We hope these findings provide skeptical individuals that this industry really is a challenging, rewarding and exciting sector to be in”.

According to FDF, in order achieve its vision of delivering 20% growth in food and drink manufacturing by 2020, it is important to attract the best talent to the industry.

In order to clear the misconceptions about careers in the food industry, the FDF has launched a campaign - ‘Taste Success.’

The key goals of the campaign are to promote the food and drink manufacturing sector as a good career option; clear the misconceptions that the sector in outdated; show the availability of long-term opportunities in the sector; and fill the current skills gaps in the food and drink manufacturing sector.

More information:

Jenrick Engineering is a recruitment partner for many of the leading Engineering Corporations within the UK, providing an array of contract and permanent job opportunities for engineers who operate within this sector.

If you would like to  explore job opportunities in this sector, or wish to seek advice regarding recruiting contractors or permanent staff, please contact our offices at Burton on Trent (on 01283 548 121) or Crick, Northampton (on 01788 824555).

Article Source: processandproduction.food-business-review.com

The workshop, which was free to attend, was attended by a number of British Armed Forces personnel who have recently left, or are in the process of leaving the Armed Forces and are now seeking to explore the next chapter of their career in the Private Sector.

The all-day event was held at Jenrick’s historical ‘Clock Tower’ Head Office, in Walton on Thames, Surrey and was orientated around two interactive talks from ex-Forces personnel who have already made successful career transitions to the Private Sector.

Miriam Lee, a Government and Defence careers specialist at Jenrick IT, explained why the team ran this event:

“Our company was invited to attend several Defence Exhibitions in 2011 to act as a career and recruitment advisor to those leaving the Forces. It became quickly apparent that there were a number of information gaps regarding how the skills of Armed Forces personnel would transfer into the Private Sector and what the Private Sector was seeking in terms of skills.

The workshop was an ideal opportunity to help fill in those information gaps and equip the attendees with the skills they will need to succeed in the Private Sector.”

John Botterill and Andy Hayward, both of whom have built extremely successful careers since leaving the Armed Forces, led the morning workshop sessions. They covered a variety of topics, which were orientated around how they felt when they left the Forces, the mistakes they made in their job hunting approach and how they applied these lessons to refine their job hunting.

After lunch, the group was given the opportunity to attend a mock job interview, run by Miriam Lee and Janos Meszaros.

Meanwhile in another room, Philip Fanthom, Managing Director of Jenrick IT, and Andy Hayward, were running the remainder of the Group through the online websites, such as Linked IN, to see the role they play in your job hunting strategy.

The entire group then came together to develop a case study and present a business plan.

There has been an abundance of positive feedback received, some of which has been included below:

“Massive thanks for a superb event.  A great idea which was undoubtedly the most refreshing, and I think most useful careers event which I have been to yet. I certainly came away feeling more confident that I was in fact employable, and indeed that I am heading, bit by bit, towards the right goal.” - Pilot - Royal Navy

“Brilliant! I loved the exercise we did on identifying what you really want to do, rather than just doing the first job you feel you are capable of.” - Officer - Army (retired)

“Very impressed. You covered so much that was completely new to me. The mock interview was especially helpful.” - Lt Cmdr - Royal Navy

“An excellent day. The ex-military guest speakers were key for me - I want to be in their position in a few years, so they are the exact people I want to learn from. It was so refreshing to have the opportunity to talk with people, rather than a computer programme telling you what you should or should not be doing.” - Chief Petty Officer - Royal Navy

“This workshop was excellent. I’ve been out of the Forces for a while now, but didn’t realise how I had slipped out of so many good habits. This workshop has reminded me of what I should be doing! For me, developing and presenting a business plan was the highlight of the day - I had not had the opportunity to do this type of exercise before.” - Information Security Officer - Army (retired)

FURTHER INFORMATION

• Forces to Business Workshop - CLICK HERE to see the structure of the day

• Benefits of attending - CLICK HERE to understand how this workshop will help your career transition

• Interested in attending future workshops - EMAIL janos.meszaros@jenrick.co.uk to reserve a place

Jenrick IT are keeping a close monitor on any potential changes to the IR35 legislation and will be reporting in the weeks ahead. George Osbourne appears to have his sights set on Limited Company contractors as a revenue earner for the exchequer.

George Osborne used his Budget 2012, delivered earlier today, to address the avoidance of tax through the use of personal service companies (PSCs), in line with industry predictions issued exclusively to CUK.

The chancellor’s full report states that the government will introduce a package of measures with two broad aims - to tackle avoidance via PSCs and to make IR35 easier for “genuinely in business” PSC users to understand.

Rather than representing a new stance on the issue, the announcement by Mr Osborne is merely a reiteration of government policy, under which the IR35 Forum is preparing new measures to achieve the two stated goals by April 6^th.

According to the chancellor’s report, the incoming package to tackle tax avoidance through PSCs includes ways to simplify how “IR35 is administered” - the very mission statement of the IR35 Forum.

The package will also serve to strengthen the taxman’s employment income “specialist compliance teams,” which Forum members were told at the last meeting for which minutes are available.

But the Big Red Book’s addressing of ‘IR35′, mentioned only twice in the 114-page report, concludes with a new development which represents the potential devil in the detail for IT contractors and other PSC users, experts on the legislation say.

Although subject to consultation, the Treasury says “office holders/controlling persons who are integral to the running of an organisation” will be required “to have PAYE and NICs deducted at source, by the organisation by which they are engaged.”

Speaking exclusively to CUK, Kate Cottrell, of employment status firm Bauer & Cottrell said of the news: “This is the first time we have seen the term ‘controlling persons’ and the definition of a controlling person will form part of the consultation.

“It will invariably be someone who is integral to the running of the organisation and has a degree of control over the organisation. We will have to wait and see the consultation questions to understand more”.

However, her initial interpretation of the government’s wording is that “senior individuals” at an outfit working via PSCs will be the target of what will likely “be a new measure probably by way of a deeming provision”  that will be, she warned, “in addition to IR35.”

So, while an umbrella company captain is technically right to point to the Budget and say with IR35 it’s ‘better the devil you know’, because a “replacement” was not announced today, the government is however raising the prospect of an extra regulation.

At accountancy firm Contractor Essentials, managing partner Elaine Hazlewood reflected:

“The government appears to be reacting to recent [press] reports…by announcing that it is going to consult on introducing a requirement in the 2013 Finance Bill, that any ‘office holder’ or ‘controlling person’ who is integral to the running of the organisation must have PAYE & NIC deducted at source from any payments made to them by that organisation.

“While this will not affect the great majority of contractors, it may affect anyone who is engaged at a very senior level with their client. At this stage, there is no definition of who is an ‘office holder’ or ‘controlling person,” but anyone operating at board level should expect to be affected.”

Bauer & Cottrell agreed:

“[The likely] addition to the current IR35 legislation is not intended to apply to genuine small businesses, but to capture those who should be paying employment taxes on their income… I would recommend that those in controlling positions, including interim positions, should take heed of this announcement.”

PCG, the contractors’ trade group, wants “urgent clarification” from the government for its members. It described the plans to explore requiring PSC users engaged as “office holders/controlling persons” who are “integral to the running of an organisation” to become PAYE as “significant.”

“These plans appear ambiguous and may affect senior interims,” the group warned. “It is crucial that these legitimate businesses do not suffer as a consequence.”

Further Information

For more information, please feel free to contact Jenrick IT on 01932 245 500 where we can offer great sources of information.

General IT skills and those in CAD and CAM were also cited as areas of skills shortage in permanent jobs, while general IT and business analyst skills were in short supply among contractors.

Overall, the report for March 2012 showed that the IT and computing sector led an upturn in permanent job vacancy growth to an eight-month high.

Ronnie McCombe, partner at KPMG, said:

“It’s encouraging to see permanent placements in positive territory for the third month in a row in 2012, albeit slightly down on last month’s high. This provides further hope that the employment market will win through to a stronger recovery as the year progresses.

“Sectors such as IT and computing and engineering and construction continue to perform well.”

But he added:

“It is certainly still too early to call a jobs recovery.”

The report uses a figure to represent demand in each job sector, and a figure above 50 indicates an increase in demand on the previous month.

For permanent IT jobs, which ranked first, the figure for March 2012 was 59.5. Although it held the same ranking as the same time last year, the growth was stronger in March 2011, with a figure of 65.9.

In terms of IT contractor jobs, which ranked third behind nursing and engineering, the demand had also fallen since last year, from 63.8 to 52.5 in March 2012.

McCombe said that the jobs recovery was tentative partly because instead of new jobs being created, some of the rise in permanent jobs appears to come from employers simply switching temporary workers to permanent status due to the higher entitlements owed to them through the new Agency Worker Regulations (AWR).

Since 1 October 2011, the AWR has given contractors the entitlement to the same basic employment and working conditions as if they had been recruited directly by a company.

Tom Hadley, director of policy and professional services for the REC, called on the government to do more to boost the supply of IT workers.

“Expertise in IT and engineering, as well as workers in catering and driving, continue to be sought after. The government needs to do more to address the supply side of the equation, ensuring school leavers, graduates and other jobseekers get sound advice on the skills and qualifications they need to secure the jobs they want.”

Further information

If you are an IT professional seeking to advance your career, then please contact the Jenrick IT consultant team directly on (01932) 245 500 or view our current IT job opportunities and apply online.

Alternatively, Jenrick Engineering is a recruitment partner for many of the leading Engineering Corporations within the UK, providing an array of contract and permanent job opportunities for engineers who operate within this sector.

If you would like to  explore job opportunities within the engineering sector, or wish to seek advice regarding recruiting contractors or permanent staff, please contact our offices at Burton on Trent (on 01283 548 121) or Crick, Northampton (on 01788 824555).

Article Source: pcadvisor.co.uk

This growth was led by the IT and Computing sector, while the Engineering and Construction sector also performed well.

Recruitment consultants also reported a rise in permanent staff placements for the third month in a row, although the growth slowed from the nine-month high seen in February.

Short-term appointments showed a moderate decrease, with many employers choosing to convert temporary/contract staff into permanent employees. This may be due to the effect of the Agency Worker Regulations, which mean that agency workers now have the same rights as directly employed staff after spending 12 weeks in a job.

Meanwhile the growth of permanent staff availability slowed further in March and temporary/contract staff availability rose at the weakest rate recorded since August 2011.

Looking at pay levels, the starting salaries awarded to permanent recruits were unchanged last month and seem to be stagnating. The pay for temporary/contract staff increased, perhaps because of the the inflationary impact of the Agency Worker Regulations.

Tom Hadley, REC’s director of Policy and Professional Services, said that the rise in permanent appointments and vacancy growth is good news for those looking for a job, as well as being “a positive indication of increasing employer confidence”.

Employer confidence and hiring activity should be further boosted by recent tax changes announced in the Budget, the Youth Contract and reductions in red tape for businesses, he added.

The monthly Report on Jobs, produced by Markit on behalf of the REC and KPMG, is compiled using original survey data provided by recruitment consultancies.

FURTHER INFORMATION

If you are an IT professional seeking to advance your career, then please contact the Jenrick IT consultant team directly on (01932) 245 500 or view our current IT job opportunities and apply online.

Jenrick Engineering is a recruitment partner for many of the leading Engineering Corporations within the UK, providing an array of contract and permanent job opportunities for engineers who operate within this sector.

If you would like to  explore job opportunities within the engineering sector, or wish to seek advice regarding recruiting contractors or permanent staff, please contact our offices at Burton on Trent (on 01283 548 121) or Crick, Northampton (on 01788 824555).

Article Source: financial-news.co.uk

They show the manufacturing sector employs about 315,000 people in the region and is worth £16bn to the economy, almost 13% of the UK’s overall manufacturing output. It also accounts for 11% of the North West regional economy.

The growth is being driven by a broad spectrum of manufacturing companies in the region, from food and drink to healthcare, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, as well as the aerospace and automotive sectors which have a major bearing on the supply chain and have seen significant investment.

Growth is also being driven largely by manufacturing exports which have increased by 34% in the past five years, especially to emerging economies such as Brazil, Russia, India and China.

EEF North West director David Ost said:

“Manufacturing has always been critical to the North West economy and the latest data only serves to underline its continued importance.

“At a time when we need to rebalance our economy and export our way to economic growth, policymakers across the region need to recognise its importance and do all they can to boost investment in our manufacturing base.”

He added:

“Not only will this sustain the current levels of employment, but help create the high value, high skill jobs we urgently need.”

The EEF data also shows that  average wages in manufacturing are higher than the rest of the economy; manufacturing accounts for 72% of spending on research and development in the UK; manufacturing accounts for half of UK exports; and output per hour in manufacturing over the past decade is almost three times that of the economy overall.

Further Information

Jenrick Engineering is a recruitment partner for many of the leading Engineering Corporations within the UK, providing an array of contract and permanent job opportunities for engineers who operate within this sector.

If you would like to  explore job opportunities in this sector, or wish to seek advice regarding recruiting contractors or permanent staff, please contact our offices at Burton on Trent (on 01283 548 121) or Crick, Northampton (on 01788 824555).

Article Source: liverpooldailypost.co.uk