Industrial Placement Student Review

I found my placement at Aldi extremely enjoyable and challenging. From day one I was made to feel part of the team who were all friendly and welcoming. I particularly enjoyed the levels of responsibility that were put on me during my time in store and head office. I feel the depth of retail knowledge and hands on experience I have gained has been invaluable for my future career.

I always felt a valued member of staff. All staff treated me in a welcoming and respectful manner, for which I am extremely grateful. No matter which store / department I worked in I always felt valued.

My mentor was the Operations Director, as he has entered Aldi having firstly been on placement himself. This I felt was a very good idea as he could best relate to any issues I may encounter. At each stage of my placement I held regular 1 2 1 meetings with the current line manager at that time. These meetings were used to discuss performance and general issues. These meetings were held fortnightly. I found these meetings extremely useful as I could gage my performance, discuss burning issues and obtain further guidance. I felt comfortable with the amount of support on offer and I never felt unsupported throughout my time with Aldi.

I was extremely busy, every day of my placement. Coming from a University lifestyle into a busy 48 hour minimum working week was extremely rewarding and I felt I thrived on the challenge. Looking back over the placement I thoroughly enjoyed the varied workload both in store and at head office and always gave 100% in order to maximise the experience.

After the initial few weeks of the placement, I felt that the responsibility levels were extremely high – which I thoroughly enjoyed. I started as Assistant Manager level and within seven weeks I was running day covers at the store. This was just the start of the increasing levels of responsibility placed upon me. Following my time at the stores I spent the last six months of my placement working for the Regional Operations Director, project managing projects on his behalf. In certain cases these projects lead to company wide roll outs and significant investment for the Company. Not only did this assist my personal development but it also has future benefits for Aldi.

I am currently in my final year at University following my placement which ended September 2011. Although I haven’t put my new skills learnt into practical use I certainly feel that the theory taught in previous years has been brought to life by my placement experience. Also there are a considerable number of skills I have picked up that I am keen to practice in the future – just awaiting an opportunity. The last year’s placement has given me considerably more confidence in completing my year and it has also made me realise how enjoyable a career in retail management can be. I believe I have learnt new life skills whilst working at Aldi which will hold me in good stead for future employment.

I found the working atmosphere to be friendly and very professional. I felt the whole workforce from Directors through to store cahiers were all highly motivated people. I formed the opinion that all staff were striving to achieve, which I found to be a very exciting and stimulating atmosphere.

I was hugely impressed with the organisation of my placement. From day one I was given a plan outlining my future time with Aldi. I remember looking at the plan and thinking – week eight running store on own – no way. Sure enough, week eight managing a store, making decisions – WOW. I found the plan to be extremely useful in helping me organise my time at Aldi. I felt everything was planned and organised extremely well and was even more impressed looking back, that the original plan was adhered to - with the exception of my extended placement time at Aldi.

The company invested in me hugely, from critiquing my appearance, style, body language etc to offering me the opportunity to formally communicate at all levels with my peers and seniors. Also having confidence in me to represent Aldi to outside bodies.

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement at Aldi, the placement was originally planned to run from September ’10 to May ’11 (9 months) in reality it started early August ’10 and finished late September ’11 (14 months). I find the prospect of a future career at Aldi extremely appealing. I thrive on the busy challenging environment that exists within the company.

I was the only placement student so hence not a lot of socialising occurred with piers. However, I did enjoy the atmosphere within the office and on occasions gave up my free time to support company gatherings.

As I was living at home throughout my placement I did not gain a true insight into the cost of living within the area however food prices were relatively cheap within the area.

The regional head office where I spent 9 months of my placement was only 25 minutes away from both Chester and Liverpool which are both lively cities with great night life.

Due to Aldi being within the retail sector it is quite difficult to fully commit to activities outside of the workplace especially when in store due to working hours changing on a weekly basis.