Industrial Placement Review

My year with Aldi has been fantastic. I've really enjoyed working for the company and gaining in-depth knowledge about the business itself. It is extremely varied and tests you throughout.

I felt valued and was always treated like a senior member of the team in store. During time in Head Office and out with my Area Manager I felt my work was always appreciated. You are trusted with a lot responsibility which speaks for itself. As long as you work hard and show a willingness to learn the staff will treat you with respect.

The management team in store would offer guidance if you asked and would give you support if you needed it. My Store Manager made it very clear from day one the standard he expected from his managers. I received feedback from both my Store Manager and Assistant Store Managers which helped my development as I knew which areas I needed to focus on most. Sometimes you would be left to figure things out the hard way - often the best way, and learn from it. Throughout time in Head Office and during time out with your Area Manager - everyone is more than willing to offer support and guidance.

Retail is a very fast paced environment. During shifts in store and when you are out with your Area Manager you are always busy and feel like your days are never long enough to get everything done. In store you will be running shifts, managing the staff, have the safe, placing orders, completing daily paper work, on a till, cleaning up spillages, the list is endless... You also get to experience Christmas in store which is madness! Although it is exciting, When shadowing your Area Manager - you would often visit 3 different stores per day. Occasionally you would work independently and carry out audits in their stores or do projects such as; competitor analysis and mystery shops. You work Monday - Friday during your time in Head Office so it is a lot easier to find a work/life balance. Some of the department work is not as fast paced which gives you an opportunity to get to know individuals and build a working relationships with them. You get to interact more with the Directors as you are seeing them on a regular basis. Meeting and communicating with people in all areas of the business has definitely been a highlight. Each day was different and that was the best part!

You are given an enormous level of responsibility throughout the year but especially during your store time. You will be expected to make decisions that could have a big impact on your store- which may be slightly overwhelming at first. But like anything, you get out what you put in. If you are prepared to put in the maximum effort it will be a very rewarding year. It is a very steep learning curve but the skills developed through this are invaluable.

The placement is great for giving you taste of the real world and what it will be like after graduating. All the skills developed will help me throughout University and thereafter. You are able to develop professionalism, leadership and people management in real life business situations and in doing so develop personally. Being under pressure and resolving issues as they happen has allowed me to asses my own ability as a manager. The 'sink or swim' analogy applies throughout. It is challenging but you are learning and developing every day.

Both in store and head office there is a very professional yet friendly atmosphere. Everybody makes the effort to get to know each other and it is clear from the strong work ethic that they are all passionate about the business.

The placement is very well structured. I knew exactly what I was doing throughout the year. I always knew where I was up to in my training and if any changes were made I was notified.

Throughout the business everyone invests a lot of time in you. I never felt unable to ask questions or seek advice. In store time the training is very comprehensive. It is important to be proactive about completing your training as it can be easy to let slip, especially in a busier store. It helps that the training materials are supported by assessments which must be complete in order to progress through your management training. This made it easier to stay on track and was useful for highlighting any areas not covered, or that needed more time spent developing. By shadowing each department your commercial awareness develops significantly. You get an insight into all aspects of the business and how they interlink with one another.

Future employment prospects are very appealing although not guaranteed. Having completed a placement with them you are definitely at an advantage as you already know what the graduate job involves and can decide whether it is something you would like to do or not based on your experience.

All of the IP students got along really well. There were 4 of us in my region so during time in Head Office it was really nice to go through the experience together and share our knowledge and learning. This year all Industrial Placement students were invited to a networking event at the start of the year and at the end. Which gave us the chance to share experiences and build relationships with colleagues across the UK.

Accommodation is fairly affordable. Edinburgh has a very varied social scene - being a student here for 2 years meant that socialising could be done on a budget but with the IP salary what fun would that be.

Edinburgh is great but during store time, working a mixture of shifts you rarely have time for a night out. Obviously if you ever had a special occasion coming up you could request it off. During time in Head Office however, you have a better work/life balance as you get every weekend off - it's amazing. It meant that it was much easier have a night out or to travel 3 hours back home to see family and friends.

Other than socialising on your days off or going to the gym. You will be working on average 50 hours per week - and depending on your course, you could be doing Uni work on top of that.