Meet Lewis

In my team, there are usually 10 to 15 people, working within five to seven stations. Most of the time, I work on a station with someone else.

If we are fitting radiators, I might do the right-hand side while another person does the left-hand side. We are working together, but we still have our own responsibilities.

I think of it a bit like a football team. You have experienced people and younger people coming in, and everyone has to learn how to work together. When the team works well, we help each other, improve together and deliver the end result.

My favourite piece of equipment is the crane we use for the retractable hard top on some convertible models. The crane lifts the roof mechanism and helps place it into the car.

I like it because it makes the job safer and easier. It means I am not putting strain on my back or trying to hold something heavy in my arms. The crane takes the weight, so I can focus on guiding the part into place properly.

It is also satisfying to use because when the roof goes in, the car really starts to come together.

Because I finish work at 2:15pm, I still have the afternoon free. I used to find the early start difficult when I started and I was 19, but now I really appreciate it.

In the summer, I like playing tennis or football. I also like having time in the week to get things done, like sorting my car or popping out for jobs that would otherwise take up my weekend.

And sometimes, because I started at 5:30am, I like a quick snooze in the afternoon!

At school, I was interested in different things rather than one clear subject or career. My GCSEs and sixth form choices were quite varied, including politics, ICT and health and social care.

I think that shows I was still working out what I wanted. I had ideas, like law or politics, but I did not have a fixed route planned out. Looking back, that was okay. I needed time to think about what I enjoyed, what I was good at and what kind of work I could see myself doing every day.

The most exciting thing I’ve done was building part of a car for Lando Norris (a British Formula One racer, for McLaren). It was his own personal car, a McLaren 765LT, and I fitted the radiator to it when I was still quite fresh to the company.

About a week later, I came back from my break and saw someone standing by the car. At first, I thought it was an engineer or inspector. Then he turned around and it was Lando.

That moment made me realise what I was doing it for. My work was helping to make someone excited and happy about their car.

One thing that might surprise people is that you do not need to arrive with lots of car mechanics experience. When I started, my only mechanical background was working on my bicycle.

The processes are designed so that people can come in and learn them. It might take a while, like any new job, but you can pick things up by following the instructions, asking questions and learning from the people around you.

I have worked on so many parts of the cars, from radiators and windscreens to air conditioning and seats. Each process is different, but you learn as you go.

I started as a Production Technician and, it wasn’t too long before I was promoted to become a Senior Technician. That means I get more involved in the work my manager does too, and I’ve learnt about managing processes and people in the team too.

Now, I can step in when my manager is away. I want to keep learning, keep building my knowledge and keep developing the skills that have brought me to where I am now.

Try to find something you’re interested in and are enthusiastic about. If you focus on something you enjoy, something you can see yourself doing and something you know you can be good at, you tend to become a brighter, happier, better person because of it.

There was a point where I sat back and reflected on myself and thought, what could I do for eight hours a day? I realised it had to be something I enjoy. And although I didn’t follow a traditional path, I created my own path, which then led to a job I love.