Industrial Placement Student Review

by Aldi

Best Student Employer

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

2.5/5
  • The Role
    3.3
  • The Company
    2.7
  • The Culture
    1.1

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • The placement was incredibly challenging and I received a huge amount of work satisfaction whilst working in store. I had the opportunity to take ownership of my work and make implementable changes. Although at times the workload was far too much and this took a toll of my social life.

    3/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • Whilst in store I felt as if I had formed a family. Whilst in the Head office I felt as if I was an inconvenience. Throughout the year I had great support off my Area Manager mentor, who really valued me, and allowed myself to become integrated into the store team. By the end of the time in store, I really felt I had contributed and my work was valued.

    3/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • I received support on an ongoing basis from my Area Manager, I was able to ask for this as and when required. We underwent performance reviews and planned targets for me to achieve.

    4/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • I was incredibly busy and often stayed longer than my hours, as I was contracted to 48 hours a week, this is a huge amount of work. And can be very overwhelming. I felt there was a great amount of pressure to stay, and if I didn't do so, this was reflected poorly upon myself.

    5/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • I was given a huge amount of responsibility, from running 2 stores to managing my own project without supervision. I managed the operations of store which turned over £1 million a month, including doing orders for the entire store. Whilst in head office I was rarely supervised and allocated specific projects.

    5/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • The skills I developed are generally interpersonal skills: Management, communication, drive, hard-work, tenacity are just a few. These will benefit me in my future career hugely and are life skills. In terms of my degree, I learnt a lot based around the retail industry, but this does not correlate too well with my degree.

    3/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • The office had a strict culture and was a warm environment. This did not give a great atmosphere. We did not always have desks to work at, and the teams where very segregated.

    2/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • The placement year was very well organised, we had a 52 week plan on arrival, which was followed exactly. We were able to request any relevant changes. It was not often that we did no have work to do. All the resources were provided upon arrival. As where the relevant managers and directors.

    5/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • Little personal training in terms of courses and academic training. But we had a structure Aldi training guide, which was very extensive and had computer examinations.

    2/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • 1/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • The prospects are appealing as you are not required to apply through the process again and are offered a place directly onto the Area Manager team.

    5/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • We were not encouraged to socialise with other placement students, which was incredibly isolating at times.

    2/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • Living and socialising costs in the north west area are relatively cheap, but this varies as your location is not certain. There was no emphasis on socialising therefore this does not hugely apply.

    2/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • N/A

    1/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • No opportunities where encouraged.

    1/5

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Details

Placement (10 Months+)

Retail Banking, Business Management, Human Resources, Logistics and Operations

North West

November 2015


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