Industrial Placement Review

I can confidently say after speaking to other placement students at different businesses that this is one of the best placements out there. The placement is thoroughly enjoyable but also very challenging and you will need to be determined, flexible and committed but in return you will receive an incredible amount back.

In store you can quickly earn the respect of your colleagues and become a valuable member of their close knit team. Charisma, passion and effort go a long way in building relationships at Aldi. The business has an amazing culture of delegation, organisation and communication which creates an environment where everyone is clear on their own responsibilities. This creates a great environment to walk into as a young person as you are immediately given respect and given the opportunity to impress.

The placement has a clear structure which tells you the different training steps, location and your personnel and direct leaders. My experience here has been positive as I have always felt my leaders were supportive, invested into my development but also demanding. You could argue that you are ‘purposely’ not spoon fed information or guidance to push your development as it is will be up to you at times to push and take ownership of your own development and seek out further opportunities. At first, this can be a shock to the system, however it will be a great learning curve and you will become much more pro active.

In store you are incredibly busy, there is always something to do. You will be working for 10 hours a day in stressful/challenging situations in a business which is driven around efficiency and productivity. However, if you are the right person for the placement you will thrive in such scenarios and the hardest days are often the ones you look back on most fondly. At first it is surprising just how physically tiring it is to be a Store Assistant in an Aldi store, however after a few weeks your body will adjust. Head office is different as it is mentally tiring rather than physically tiring. However, this can be quite refreshing after working in stores for 5 months. In summary, you will be very busy and the placement is demanding. However, you will be able to hurdle any challenges that come your way with the superb team around you. I was surprised after joining the business by how people orientated the business is! Online you can read rumours of Aldi being a scary place to work but in reality it is very fair.

For me, this was the highlight of the placement. In store you are given the keys to a multi million pound business and given the opportunity to manage a team of up to 25/30 people. In head office, projects can involve managing £100,000’s. At the start of the placement this can be scary but soon you will thrive under responsibility and if you ever feel you are not ready/struggling there will be a support network around you.

Absolutely, you will increase your competence on a variety of employability skills including: communication, leadership, organisation and analysis. These skills will be useful to any role in the future and will help stand you out from the crowd. It is likely after completing the placement you will be interested in the Graduate Scheme which the placement can provide a great platform for depending on your performance/suitability.

In store there is a sense of camaraderie as you all rally round together as a team. You will always be encouraged to show your personality at Aldi and will develop some great relationships over the placement. However, on the other hand the business is very professional particularly in Head Office. For example, when greeting/saying bye to a director or manager it is a business norm to shake their hand.

As mentioned the placement had a clear structure which was adhered to for most of the my placement. For example, in the case of a store being short on staff you may be asked to complete a week cover as you are a spare resource. However, this is also another opportunity to learn. I found it difficult to track my development at times as you are not with other IPs and therefore do not know if you are progressing at the correct rate. However, we set up a group chat where we could discuss anything that we have learnt and make sure we are all progressing.

You will learn from some of the best people in the industry. You will sit down with directors quarterly and have challenging conversations which will challenge you to impress. The business has a unique leadership style as it is very direct. For example if you do something well you are told straight away and if it is something bad you will be told and given future suggestions. This creates a great learning environment as long as you can take criticism at times (this is essential for growth).

I am hoping to return as an Area Manager once I finish university. I would definitely recommend researching the graduate scheme before starting the placement to discover wether it would be a future possibility for you.

Besides an event at the start of the placement you will only see other IPs every couple of months unless you interact out of work. In store there is a good environment however it is important to keep a professional boundary as soon you will be managing them or may return as an Area Manager one day.

South Yorkshire is generally cheap. However, you will spend a lot of money on petrol over the year as this is not included as an expense and can be at times challenging. Whilst Area Manager training I was often spending £50-75 week on petrol.

You may be working on weekends which can disrupt your usual weekend plans. However, I often enjoyed breaking up the week with a day off in between 2/3 days work. Stores are usually accommodating if you would like a weekend or a certain day off every now and then. Project work is Monday to Friday.

No activities out of work for the reasons mentioned above.