Chloe’s Story

Hey, I’m Chloe; I am a Heavy Goods Vehicle Technician. I am also the elected Forum representative for all of the Central Transport workshops in the John Lewis Partnership. I service and maintain the fleet to a safe and legal standard.

As a Forum rep for our internal democratic structure, I speak to Partners in the workshop to find out what we think needs to be improved or changed, and I work with our managers first to get this done. If we can’t achieve our goals, I can take it further up the chain, as well as raising concerns. I also inform the other technicians of how the Partnership is doing, what changes are happening, and how it affects us.

I have been a Partner for 7 years. I joined originally as a Chilled Warehouse Operative in 2019 with the goal of moving into the workshop.

While I have faced challenges over the past 5 years – for example, I didn’t realise how much a clutch kit weighed or how tight some bolts had to be – I adapted and overcame them by using the tools and equipment around me to make the job easier. The guys are always happy to help, too, which makes life a lot easier.

Being a woman in this industry is a massive part of my journey, as I was the first female HGV technician at Waitrose. At Aylesford, we also have the Partnership’s first female Department Manager. I’d like to think that we are setting an example for women everywhere: if they really want a career like this one, they can 100% do it.