Ford Australia grabs more grads

Ford Australia is proving the end of local manufacturing doesn’t mean the end of local jobs – announcing it will further bolster its workforce for its first year as an import-only business.

The company will hire 23 graduates in 2017 to fill various positions across its Victorian operations, including product development, marketing, sales and finance.

Ford will also recruit designers for the first time since it restarted its Graduate Program in 2015.

The move is part of Ford’s plan to be Australia’s biggest automotive employee from 2018, following the cessation of vehicle production in October.

It aims to eventually employ about 1500 staff across its Research and Development Centre in Geelong, Proving Ground in Lara, and its Design Centre and Asia Pacific Product Development Centre, both in Broadmeadows.

Ford Australia’s director of vehicle programs at its Product Development Centre, Dave French, says the recruits are vital to the company’s revised status as a development hub for the One Ford empire.

“Ford graduates in Australia will play a significant role in shaping the future of the automotive industry globally, working right here in Australia,” said French.

“Because we are part of Ford’s global team, we work locally to create great vehicles for markets all over the world.

“We believe we have a real advantage investing this heavily in Australia because the country has rich talent and one of the leading educational systems in the world.”

The Ranger ute and Ford Everest SUV are Ford Australia’s most prominent examples of locally developed vehicles for global markets, though it continues to work on multiple projects that are less public.

The 23 new hires will take Ford Australia’s graduate recruitment total to 59 since it re-introduced its Graduate Program.

The company plans to launch 20 new or facelifted models by 2020.