48 Week Placement Student Review

Very interesting placement program offering a great deal of opportunity to gain experience in a number of job roles, develop skills and take on a great deal of responsibility. I enjoyed the flexibility of the program and control I had to work in the areas of the business I wanted.

Always felt comfortable and valued when working alongside Managers or store/warehouse employees. As the program is quite established a lot of employees were aware of my role.

The support structure was excellent. From a Head Office perspective there was a Training Co-Ordinator who's role involved supporting us throughout the placement, answering any queries and providing advice. On a regional level there was a Regional Training Manager who was our first point of contact. He was great in organising what we were doing, ensuring we were getting the best out of the placement and supporting and solving any issues. From the outset it was very beneficial knowing a friendly face within the management team and knowing there was someone supportive available.

Due to the nature of retail there were a lot of periods, particularly when working in store, that I was very busy! They were very strict however in ensuring we stuck to our contracted hours and made back any over time which ensured a work-life balance.

I found I was given a high level of responsibility during the placement across the number of different roles I worked. From the sales/store perspective I found I experienced a great deal through the Managerial Role: ordering stock for the store, managing shifts, cash handling, organising promotional set up etc. I was further given a lot of responsibility within the Property Department in terms of the tasks I completed, meetings attended etc and during further projects I managed such as 3 weeks on the Lidl Promotional Bus.

I found I developed a vast number of skills during the placement, beneficial both for my degree and future employment. My organisational skills, managerial experience and general confidence/professionalism has grown through the different roles and experiences. The quarterly training sessions held with the other placement students were very positive in developing further skills such as presentation techniques, approach to work etc.

Always found a good team atmosphere in both store and the property department.

The placement was very extremely well organised and structured. My 48 weeks was split into a 10 week training period, followed by 3 elective 12 week modules and a 2 week period working within Head Office. From day one we were given a calendar detailing when each module would take place and dates of training days across the year and Head Office Projects. In addition to this, my Regional Training Manager was very helpful in ensuring regional projects were well organised and each department was aware of my arrival and my involvement during the modules.

The company invested a great deal of time and financial cost in my training throughout the year. I felt very privileged with regards to the exposure I gained across the different departments and the training I received in each. I felt this training was enthusiastic, to the highest level and ensured I got the best out of each job role. I found the quarterly training sessions held with the other placement students to be particularly beneficial to my personal development as a whole.

The company is performing very highly and offers extremely appealing employment prospects with career progression encouraged from within. I will discuss my performance over the year and future prospects with the Regional Director in the coming weeks.

There were a total of 15 placement students across the country. Although we didn't get to meet up that regularly, when we attended training sessions and our period in Head Office we had the opportunity to socialise.

I lived at home during the placement so costs of living were considerably lower than if I had to rent accommodation. Travel above 35 miles was expensed during the placement also ensuring costs were minimal.

Again, living at home the nightlife was as expected. Head Office is based in Wimbledon so during this 2 week period I had the opportunity to go out in Wimbledon and London which was a good change.

Opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work were quire dependent on the department. At a store level not that much was available, had to be organised myself. At the Regional Distribution Centre (Offices) there were some charity events, sporting opportunities to take part in.