Industrial Placement Review

I couldnt have asked for a more enjoyable, challenging and rewarding Placement Year. The level of responsibility and fast pace of the business combines to provide job satisfaction and vast opportunities for personal growth. I have felt like a valued member of a positive and successful team since day one of placement, and through embracing every challenge i have been able to succeed.

The level of responsibility and trust given to Placement Students means that your contribution to the store team is always valuable. Being given the opportunity to run a store within weeks of joining the company has been a great motivation to achieve. When the team you work with accepts, respects and values you it drives you to work harder to ensure you dont let them down.

Regular feedback and performance management is encouraged at Aldi in order to drive success. It has been vital to learn to embrace constructive criticism as well as praise, as both are integral to improvement. Guidance and support has been provided when requested, however independence and use of initiative as a form of problem solving is important.

There is never a dull moment at Aldi, and there is always something to do - especially if you use your initiative. Working in stores is the busiest you will be, theres feels like there is always too much to do and its easy to doubt that its achievable to complete all the tasks you would like to. However if you strive to work effectively and productively, there will be no better feeling than leaving a shift having achieved all that you wanted to.

Industrial Placements are given a high level of responsibility. Walking into my store in my third week with the company wearing my Assistant Store Manager badge means there is pressure from the very start, but it is a great feeling to know that you are trusted and that everyone wants to see you succeed. People management has been the biggest responsibility of all, being in charge of a team and learning how to motivate people has been the most valuable skill i have learnt at Aldi, and this may not have been possible if i wasnt given as much responsibility as i have been. Sometimes being thrown in at the deep end is the best thing for you - you sink or swim!

The skills ive learnt in terms of determination to succeed, organisation and time management are all translatable to my degree next year. Doing the placement has given me a realistic idea of the career i am working towards, which has increased my motivation for my last year of University. The amount i have been able to achieve in a day this year has made me realise that i can achieve much more at University, and has made me look forward to improving the extra-curricular side of University life next year too in terms of potentially being more active with societies and clubs.

Store teams feel a lot like a family. You are a valued and respected member of the management team and Aldi stores always have a positive atmosphere which makes them a great place to work. Head Office is a lovely environment to work in, you are able to spend time with different departments and work allongside the same people every day which gives you a great insight into the way that the other side of the business works.

On the first day of placement I was given a weekly training plan which included reviews and updates with mentors and directors. Although the year deviated from the plan slightly in the form of an extension of store time, this proved to be worthwhile as it allowed us to work in a different store to the one that we had trained in. Aldi prides itself on its efficiency and organisation, so it was rare that anything was poorly organised in terms of my training.

The main investment made in Placements by Aldi is the time given by Area Managers and the Director team. Regular and detailed updates help you to improve and succeed and the responsibility of leading a team allows personal development.

The prospects are very appealing, as a Placement Student you are often treated similarly to an Area Manager (Graduate Scheme Level). This means you are given great insight into the roles of the Area Manager, and spending time working alongside Area Managers means you can watch how they plan there time and lead their people. The year with Aldi has made me want to apply for the Graduate Scheme even more.

Whilst all of the Placement Students in our region have got on really well, the locations of our stores and the demands of the job have meant that there has not been many chances to socialise. However a bi-annual IP review has allowed us to socialise with Placement Students from other regions, and share our experiences.

The salary at Aldi has meant that there have been no issues with the cost of living or socialising. In fact, it has allowed me to live in a lovely apartment in the City Centre and fund a summer in Asia and Australia!

The Neston region of Aldi covers all of the North West excluding Manchester so there are plenty of destinations with great night life. Once youre into a routine and used to the expectations and demands of the job it has important to find the time to have a work-life balance and socialise and there are plenty of places to do so.

The National IP review was a great way to meet Placements from other regions of Aldi UK, and there were plenty of Ice Breaker activities and opportunity for socialising. However other than this bi-annual event out of work activities with colleagues were not particularly encouraged.