Worcestershire firm to source staff for £108m electric battery industrialisation centre

A specialist Worcestershire recruitment firm has been appointed to fill almost 100 jobs at a new £108m million research centre which will drive the UK’s automotive battery development.

Following a competitive tender process last Spring, engineering jobs experts Consilium Recruit has become a preferred recruitment partner for the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) - a new facility which will open in Coventry next year and help turn the UK into a world leader in battery design, development and manufacture for the automotive sector.

The Stourport-on-Severn-based company will help UKBIC build to a team of up to 95 professionals this year for the new government-funded centre. This will include recruiting members of UKBIC’s leadership team, specialist managers, engineers, technicians and a range of support staff. The facility is led by Managing Director, Jeff Pratt.

Steve Doyle, director at Consilium Recruit said: “We are excited to be a preferred recruitment partner for UKBIC following a detailed process which concluded last year.

“Battery technology is accelerating at the fastest pace ever and this means the new centre will need the best leaders, engineers and technical experts with the transferable skills needed to ensure the UK is able to maintain a lead position in this global race.

“To have a facility like this in the heart of the Midlands is massive for the region. In the next 20 years the automotive sector will change beyond all recognition and battery innovation will play a key role in developing greener, more reliable vehicles.

“To make that ambition happen there is a big challenge ahead and that’s why we are looking for people who can bring skills and experiences from other high volume and automated manufacturing sectors such as FMCG, electronics and printing, not just automotive. The interest in these jobs has already been phenomenal and they are attracting first-rate talent, but we need more.”

Jeff Pratt, managing director of UKBIC added: “Steve and the team at Consilium have a deep understanding of the specialist engineering jobs market and that makes them the perfect recruitment partners for us. They also understand we want people to join us who have first-class credentials, complementary skills, and who can bring new perspectives from other industries.

“It’s an exciting time for us and I am certain the recruitment drive will produce impressive results.”

The new centre is part of the Government’s £274 million Faraday Battery Challenge – a four-year commitment which aims to close the productivity and battery design gap between the UK and mainland Europe by 2025. It is being built in Coventry following a nationwide competition which was won through a joint bid by the Warwick Manufacturing Group at the University of Warwick, Coventry City Council, and the Coventry & Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership.

Readers interested in searching the roles on offer can visit Consilium’s recruitment portal which is available through www.consiliumrecruit.com/uk-battery-industrialisation-centre.

Mr Doyle added that Consilium is also an active STEM Ambassador and is continuing to spend time in schools across the Midlands as part of the skills initiative, showcasing engineering and the automotive industry to children and young people.

The business was formed in 2001 and also has an office in Stratford-upon-Avon.