Industrial Placement Review

I have absolutely loved my Industrial Placement with Aldi. The management experience I have picked up as well as the wholesome amount of responsibility I have been given over the course of the year cannot be matched. The whole culture of the company is something that I warmed to from day one and it is a placement that has definitely got the best out of me. The training I have received has been brilliant and has definitely helped me improve my management qualities going forward. Throughout the year I have felt valued and felt that I have been contributing and adding value back to the business which is ultimately what I wanted from the placement year. Finally, I have also met some great people along the course of the year who have definitely contributed to making my placement as enjoyable as it has been.

Throughout my placement I felt like I was constantly adding value back to the business no matter what department I was in. I was always given tasks/projects that would benefit the business and that is something that cannot be matched anywhere else. For some, an inexperienced student coming into a business to manage experienced members of staff would be difficult. However, at Aldi every member of staff is helpful and very open to the idea of the Industrial Placement programme which makes it so much easier to learn and develop.

I had frequent updates with my manager to track my progress and to set goals to develop moving forward. My manager was always approachable and the support was always there if I had a problem or query. Your Store Manager is always there for support and guidance during your store time as well as your Area Manager mentor who is there to support you throughout the year. The management teams at Aldi are always open to questions and to support your learning. The managers at Aldi want to see you develop which is one thing that really impressed me on my placement year.

During my store time I was very busy, there is a lot of information to take in a short amount of time as you need to fulfil the requirements of an Assistant Manager by the end of your management training. The fast paced nature of the business means you always have work to do. During my time in head office working in various departments I had the opportunity to manage my own time as I was given projects to go away and investigate with a deadline to present the findings from my investigation. You can be as busy as you make it, however the projects are projects that really add value back to the business so do require a lot of time and effort.

The responsibility offered on the Industrial Placement at Aldi is firstly what attracted me to the placement and I believe it cannot be matched by any other company. During my store time I was given a great amount of responsibility from day one. By the end of my management training I had the full responsibilities of an Assistant Manager in store and was running the store in absence of the Store Manager. When out with my Area Manager I was given the responsibility to complete audits in stores and give the relevant feedback to management.

I have developed so many skills that will make my last year of university a whole lot easier. I have developed the obvious skills like confidence and time management however, the responsibility that I have been given over the year has enabled me to improve in areas such as managing large teams, giving effective feedback and presenting in front of a large group of people. The list can go on. Of course I have my ALDI specific knowledge that I have gathered over the course of the year and is great knowledge to have going into my final year of my Business degree.

The atmosphere in head office is always a positive one. Each department has good relationships with one another. The office has a clear desk policy and there is always a professional atmosphere in the office. The directors are always around the office and the interaction with top level management is a real positive on the placement.

The placement overall was very well organised. The training is structured and you know what tasks you have to complete in a certain time period to keep on track with the training. You receive a plan from day one of where you will be on which date and this gives you direction of where you will spend the majority of your placement. The organisation of your store time is really dependent on your store manager. My store manager was happy to give me extra areas of responsibility and watch me make mistakes but ultimately this was very good for my development. The only frustration was that during my head office time some departments were better prepared for our arrival than others which meant when we arrived at the department which was not prepared for us we were given menial tasks to fill the time.

ALDI invest a lot of time and money into me and I really find it difficult to find gaps in my training and development. The tools to develop and learn are in place for you to go and get stuck in and it is brilliant. If you aren't prepared to roll up your sleeves and work hard then I don't think this placement is suited to you. ALDI are a company that recognise mistakes as opportunities to learn which is fantastic as it makes you to afraid to make mistakes which ultimately brings the best out in you. I had constant feedback on how I was performing and there was always a new goal set to reach. ALDI's training and development is 10/10.

This placement really opens your eyes to the great opportunities that ALDI offer and it certainly puts you in place to step on to the Area Manager programme. If offered the job at the end of this placement I will definitely come back, I have loved working for ALDI.

Socially there has been two IP National Events that have given me the opportunity to network and interact with all the placement students nationwide. Really you only get a chance to socialise with the fellow placement students in your region once you are at head office. In store you are always on different shifts and very busy so I don't believe there is an opportunity to socialise with each other there.

I was fortunate enough to live at home during my placement year so that saved me a lot of money. As I lived at home I was able to socialise with my friends outside of work and again it was just as cheap as ever. ALDI try to put you in a store close to home which is really good of them.

Nightlife was great as always.

There were minimal opportunities to get involved in extra curricular activities outside of work.