Industrial Placement Review

The placement was very varied in terms of the work I was doing. For the most part, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Aldi as it challenged me on a daily basis. There were times where the work load and expectations were high, but in the long term this has helped me grow in confidence.

Overall, the projects and work given are ones that have significant impact across the business, which made me feel like part of the team. Being part of a team in Stores in the first half of the placement year really makes you feel like an important team player, which really made me passionate about the job.

In the initial part of the placement, being paired up with a mentor was really helpful and we had regular catch ups to review my progress. However, in the later part of the year, the support lessened due to my mentors work load, which sometimes meant that I did have as much support. Having said this, as I grew into the role, the guidance I needed lessened.

During my time in Stores, the workload was very full on which meant that the days went very quickly. It was quite a manual type of work but acting in a managerial role with the store team was a really good atmosphere. Due to the placement being spilt into two halves, the second part being in head office, the work load was still high but in a more passive manner.

The responsibility from the beginning of the placement was high and this was something that was reiterated prior to my acceptance of the job. Having had such a high level of responsibility really enabled me to grow in terms of confidence, but coming straight from university was quite a step up in terms of the work load.

I believe that my personal skills have developed ten fold since the beginning of the placement. Key skills such as confidence in presenting to large director teams will be of use in coursework presentations at university. Better organisation and a more efficient way of working will also assist my degree and hopefully ensure that my degree assignments will be completed in a much more effective way.

Coming from Stores into such a professional office environment was challenging, and having our training plan altered to go into a project meant that introductions to teams within the office took a back seat. Having said this, colleagues in the office are always willing to help if necessary and are polite.

On the whole, a training plan was implemented and communicated well at the start of the placement year. It was well structured to ensure that we got the most out of the year. Expectations were set to show how we should be developing throughout the year into a managerial role. A few changes were made to the plan, but overall it has been well set out.

The year enabled me to grow so much in terms of my own personal development. My mentor gave me regular feedback in catch up meetings throughout the year, which ensured that I could constantly improve. In Stores, the training provided was thorough but quick which helped me develop quickly. Every team I have worked with has wanted to help push me and develop.

The training plan for the placement year sets apart time to spend with area manager mentors. This enabled me to see their job role and have a clearer idea of the progression moving forward. The managerial side of the job is really appealing but in comparison to other jobs outside of Aldi, the work life balance seems to be something that isn't focused upon so highly.

The social element of the job isn't something which Aldi highly encourage due to it being a very professional company. There was little opportunity to socially interact with other placement students, especially during our time in Stores, as different days off (being in a retail environment) meant that there were few times we were all off work on the same day.

Having to relocate for the placement year meant the cost of living was quite high due to rent payments, especially being close to head office. Additionally, having to relocate twice in the year was hard as there was more rent/deposit costs attached. Also, in the first half of the placement, due to the more unsociable working hours, time for socialising was more limited.

Being in head office for the second half of the placement year and relocating to a city was good. Being on the commuter belt in to London meant that the nightlife improved when compared to the initial time working in Stores, in more of a small village. Overall the social experience did improve as the year progressed.

The expectation within the company to socialise with colleagues wasn't really encouraged. Moving away from home and not knowing people in your area was difficult and as spare time was limited, especially in time spent working in Stores, it was difficult to get involved in activities out side of work.