Jaguar and Gorillaz recruiting tech-heads using games and technology

Jaguar Land Rover and Gorillaz are working together to recruit the next generation of world-class electronics and software engineering talent, with a code-breaking challenge found in the virtual band’s app.

The best performers will be fast-tracked through the recruitment process, helping to meet Jaguar Land Rover’s ambition to employ thousands of bright new talents over the next year. It’s a major change in the way the business looks for candidates, aiming to tackle the engineering skills gap and inspire and attract a diverse range of talent and new thinking.

“Can you crack the code? Put your skills to the test,” said Noodle, the guitarist for Gorillaz and a Jaguar Land Rover ambassador.

The Gorillaz App this week launched a new Jaguar Land Rover recruitment area in the form of a 360-environment situated in the garage of the band’s home which also features all the iconic vehicles from Gorillaz past.

Here, applicants can explore and take a two-part challenge. The first part, designed to educate users about the benefits of electric vehicles, involves assembling the Jaguar I-PACE Concept, Jaguar’s first all-electric five-seater sports car. Users can learn about the vehicle’s performance, battery technology, space, charging and range.

The second and more demanding part of the game, developed to engage and recruit budding electronic wizards and coders, will focus on cracking code, there are more than 4,000 combinations, as well as cipher in an alternate reality format. The challenges put a stronger focus on skills and talents than on qualifications.

“As the automotive industry transforms over the next decade, fuelled by software innovation, we have to attract the best talent and that requires a radical rethink of how we recruit,” said Alex Heslop, Head of Electrical Engineering, Jaguar Land Rover.

“Here we have found an engaging way to recruit a diverse talent pool in software systems, cyber systems, app development and graphics performance. It will be the first of its kind,” he added.

The Jaguar I-TYPE, Panasonic Jaguar Racing’s all-electric Formula E racecar, appears in the garage. Users can click on a poster of Noodle with the I-TYPE and ‘FanBoost’ which enables them to vote for the @JaguarRacing team drivers to gain a power boost during their next race or to follow @JaguarRacing on Twitter.

The project follows on from Jaguar Land Rover’s STEM initiative with Gorillaz in 2016, where founder member and female guitarist, Noodle, became Jaguar’s Formula E Racing Ambassador. As the UK’s leading investor in research and development and a leading global automotive manufacturer, Jaguar Land Rover is putting Noodle at the forefront of its campaign to address the skills gap that manufacturing worldwide is facing.

The company has used its debut season in Formula E to promote Jaguar Land Rover’s thought-leadership position as a business that is shaping the future to solve the technology innovation and skills gap challenges.