Placement Programme Review

The placement programme at Lidl is very much what you put in, you will get out. There are plenty of opportunities as the scheme is designed so you spend time in Sales, Logistics, Supply Chain, Admin and Head OffIce. I enjoyed this rotation as it meant that I was constantly learning a new side to the business and wasn't stuck doing the same thing day in and day out for the entirety of the year.

My regional team certainly made me feel valued, right from the very first day. Everyone was interested in the placement programme and helping me wherever possible, and there is a real learning culture in Lidl. Meaning that I was always pushed to do training sessions and improve myself, it's a great team culture.

Could not praise my line managers enough. They were constantly creating training plans for me so I knew the exact path I needed to be on, pushed me to be my very best and providing me with all the support I needed. Likewise for higher level managers in my region, they were eager to make sure that the placement students were getting as much as possible from the year and were never too busy to chat about how things were going.

Lidl is a very busy, fast paced environment and is not for everyone! It's an operational role so it's very hands on, meaning that there can be some long and tiring busy days. Especially once again as it is shift work. It is certainly a challenge, but excellent for anyone like me who does not enjoy being sat at an office or not being busy!

Responsibility comes to those on the placement programme who want it. If you want the responsibility, then it is there to take. There are lots of opportunity to shadow managerial members of staff, and then from this there is the chance to take on the role yourself. As long as you put yourself out there and ask for the responsibility, you will get it!

The amount of training I have had in the year has been fantastic, and this again is something that I have asked for and my line manager has helped me to achieve. You have to be organized as you work in different departments all the time, so making sure you have good time management is essential. This will certainly be the biggest skill I will take back to University.

Being in Sales and Logistics means that you will spend little time in an actual office, but there is a great general atmosphere at Lidl. Everyone works really hard and there is a shared sense of achievement after every working day. There are usually small teams in Lidl so you quickly grow close to the team you work within.

The region I was in organised my placement year perfectly. I knew exactly where I was and which department I was going to be in months in advance, with a week to week training plan provided. The Regional Training Consultants which were involved frequently asked for feedback on how the placement year could be improved, what we wanted to be altered or tailored etc. Could not fault the Regional Training Consultants. Head Office is not so organized but have little contact with Placement Students anyhow.

Again the training was fantastic, with a genuine interest in developing me as a person and assessing my own strengths and development areas. Each quarter I would have a review and assess myself, as well as my line manager assessing my progress also. A discussion would then be had praising my achievements and looking at what were my development areas and how we could improve these. Could not fault Lidl for this.

I would certainly want to work for Lidl again as I love the company and the growth as well as the learning culture.

Each region had two placement students, so on a whole there are roughly around 20. Placements meet at the beginning and at the end of the placement programme, with a 2 week experience at Head Office in London half way through the year.

Good because it was not in London but some of the regions are London based

Good nightlife as it was a city centre

Not really.