Industrial Placement Student Review

Overall the placement is thoroughly enjoyable and you will gain great satisfaction from knowing how much you are personally developing as well as having a real impact within the company. However, be under no illusion this is an easy placement. The year is well structured and I will do my best to give an honest insight so you know what to expect. Due to our feedback the structure of the year will change as the scheme is still fairly new to the company. There a lot of regional variations, however it will be broadly similar to what I encountered. I began with 1/2 weeks shadowing an Area Manager which chucks you in at the deep end but gives you a chance to see the role first hand and if it is right for you, which is ultimately why you would choose this placement. 6/7 months was then spent working in 2/3 stores. I began as a stock assistant to understand how the company operates. You will quickly progress to deputy manager level and finally assistant store manager level. At times you will be responsible for running the store and completing daily paperwork. At first I found store time very difficult as you will work 48+ hours on a mixture of early and late shifts without consecutive days off. Due to the nature of retail you will only get one weekend off per month during store time. To begin with this is a big challenge but as you develop your organisation and time management skills your work/life balance will improve. I was working a mixture of 5am-3pm and 2pm-12am shifts, but depending on your region and store this will vary. 2 more weeks shadowing Area Managers occurred between store time. With a further 2 weeks at the end of all store time. These weeks were much more beneficial as we understood how the stores operated and could get heavily involved with their responsibilities and tasks. A few weeks was then spent in the Regional Distribution Center (RDC) to understand how this aspect of the company works. During this stage we shadowed every department within the RDC to learn how stock comes in and out of the RDC as well as how it is sorted before being sent to stores. We also spent a day going out with Lorry drivers to understand their role. We then began departmental project work within head office, which in comparison to store time feels like a holiday as all IP's work office hours with every weekend off. This takes up the last 3/4 months of the placement. In our region we were not scheduled to spend time in each department, Instead we undertook an in-depth project in the department of our choice. However, this is different regionally as some regions completed a number of smaller projects in every department. I think completing one big project was more beneficial as you have the opportunity to make a lasting impact and will still understand how every department works as you will need to liaise with them,

During store time you become a member of the team and always feel valued and appreciated. You will be given a managers uniform in store and as long as you work hard the staff will treat you with respect and seek guidance from you. When shadowing area managers it can, at times, feel like they are giving you the mundane duties they do not want to complete themselves. However if you voice your opinions in a professional manor and state anything you wish to learn they will respect this and accommodate anything you ask for. Spending 3/4 months on one project has really allowed me to make a lasting impact on the company with substantial saving throughout the department. I had weekly meetings with the relevant Director and my input always felt valued and appreciated.

You are not spoon fed at any stage throughout this year. Although you will have an objective sheet and training materials to complete in store, it will be down to you how hard you push your training and how much you want to learn. No one will actively push this but if you are forthcoming and ask ANY question everyone throughout the company will be more than willing to make time to help you. So do not be afraid to ask as you will have many opportunities to gain a deep pool of knowledge.

One of the most enjoyable things was that no two days are the same. You will have so much to do at all stages of the placement you will never be sat twiddling your thumbs. In store you will be running shifts, managing the staff, completing rotas, orders and daily paper work. Once in head office this can become more relaxed as you are left to your own devices to a degree. However, if you want to make a lasting impact with your project work you feel driven to work hard.

You will not find a placement that offers more responsibility. You hit the ground running from day one and within a matter of weeks are given the keys to a store with the responsibility of opening/closing and managing the store, You will also hold the safe key and are ultimately in charge of a multimillion pound business at times. Although I could have asked for one, I was not given a project brief which allowed me complete free reign of the department to explore different areas. Although at times this was daunting, I had a weekly meeting with the director to steer me back on track and review my progress. You are valued and treated like a senior member of the team with which they entrust you with high levels of responsibility. You will have bad days in store and wish you had chosen an easier placement, but if you really want to gain unrivaled levels of responsibility to test you and develop you then working for Aldi is for you.

My degree is Business Management & Marketing and the whole year is tailored towards management (as the end goal is to join the graduate scheme). However, as I have already stated if you voice any questions or concerns everyone is willing to help. I mentioned to the Managing Director my dissertation requires marketing and there are no aspects of marketing in the placement. Within a few weeks I found myself sat half way across the country at Aldi's marketing office and given an in-depth tour of each department, with the opportunity to gain relevant information for my dissertation.

The atmosphere in store is a very strong team synergy, everyone works cooperatively and helps each other out. However, you must pull your weight or this will be negatively reflected upon by all the staff. In head office the atmosphere is very professional and corporate due to the presence of Directors throughout the office. However, everyone is friendly and welcoming but it may seem daunting at first due to the difference in nature from working in store.

The year was very well structured with a tailored plan given to every student at the beginning of the year. This allowed us to know which stores we would be working in and which Area Managers we would be shadowing. However, the company adapts to change very quickly which resulted in the majority of training plans changing throughout the year. As a result no two years are directly comparable, but this is not a bad thing. You can use this as an opportunity to gain what you want from the year. For example one Industrial Placement Student wanted to spend more time in a certain department and by voicing this to a Director they were pulled out of store and spent a lot of time working in this department.

The company goal is to develop future Area Managers to return upon completion of university. Therefore they invest a lot of time and money into you and if you are prepared to give your maximum effort this will be a very rewarding year. As previously stated any additional training you desire or areas you feel you could develop, everyone is happy to help you. For example a few Industrial Placement Students wanted to spend more time shadowing Area Managers and this was always accommodated

The purpose of the year is for Aldi to try and find suitable Area Managers for the graduate scheme and also a chance to us to see if Aldi is right for us. Therefore future employment prospects are very high, if you poses the characteristics they desire and demonstrate a strong work ethic you will have the opportunity to come back.

This differed regionally as some regions were advised not to socialise or be associated on social media with other colleges. However, all industrial placement students were advised to live together during the contract signing and as a result have a good social scene among each other. This provides opportunities for meals out, nights out, sporting activities together and also not to feel alone. We set up a facebook and whatsapp group to ask any questions work or un-work related and also provide a channel of organisation for any social events.

Being based in the Swindon region resulted in low living costs as houses are very cheap to rent. In total we rented 4 properties between us and I shared a 3 bedroom house costing a total of £875 per month (£292 per person per month).

There are many bars and clubs in Swindon giving lots of variety. However due to the nature of store shifts you will not be going out very often as you will prefer to make the most of your days off. During head office months, everyone tends to go home at weekends as a chance to see friends and family. Therefore the nightlife in the area is irrelevant.

Although there were not many activities planned by Aldi, the Swindon region was lucky in the sense that we were encouraged to live together. This meant we all joined the same gym allowing us to play squash and tennis together after work. We also arranged meals out, BBQ's and cinema trips together.