For Gabby, becoming a technician suits her “do-it-myself” personality.
Gabby Hernandez was working nights as a team lead at Store 1897 in Elk Grove, Illinois, when a passing conversation with her store’s maintenance technician changed the course of her career.
With a 4-year-old boy at home, working nights was hard. “I would get ready for work, and my son would go to the door and be like, ‘No, let's go to sleep!’” she says.
When Gabby asked the maintenance tech about his work, “He explained to me what it was that he did and then he said, ‘Hey, speaking of, we just got a new developmental technician program for people that don't have experience in the field,’” she says.
“I've always been a do-it-myself person. So I was like, you know what, I'm just gonna give it a shot.” And just like that, Gabby was ready to begin Walmart’s tech training.
On-the-job training
Technician training provides hourly store and supply chain associates the opportunity to move into facilities maintenance, refrigeration and HVAC, reliability and automation technician roles.
In her technician role, Gabby oversees maintenance for two stores in the Elk Grove area. That means everything from fixing oven lights and maintaining forklifts to repairing plumbing issues and potholes in the parking lot — all skills that she learned during the developmental technician program.
The program kicks off with a 10-day session that covers details like what tools to use when fixing the springs in overhead doors. On-the-job training riding with a senior technician comes next. This job shadowing phase can last for a year or longer, but Gabby says she felt ready to work on her own after seven months.
In addition to the formal training, Gabby did a little studying outside of work to make sure she felt confident. “I really had zero experience with this type of thing, so, you know, ‘YouTube university’ helped,” she says, laughing.
Going for it
Now that she’s a technician, Gabby is focused on growing in her new role and becoming a senior technician. She is also mentoring associates in a new tech training pilot program: the Associate to Technician (A2T) program. A2T teaches associates the skills for four possible tech roles, preparing them for more role-specific training. The program is piloting in the Dallas — Fort Worth area this fall, but the plan is to expand it further.
Gabby is already an informal ambassador for the program, letting folks know what it’s all about and what they need to do to apply. You don’t need experience, she tells associates, but it helps if you like to work with your hands. “If you're in store and you have a certain set of skills or interests, anything is possible with Walmart,” she says. “Any role you could think of, pretty much, just go for it.”
This is just the latest career move at Walmart for Gabby, who joined the company in 2021 in online grocery pickup and moved to home delivery before taking a team lead role.
The best thing about her new job might just be the schedule: She works days and has weekends off.
“Now my son and I get to wake up together and I’m home for his bedtime. So, it's super nice,” Gabby says with a smile.
