Industrial Placement Student Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement. Everyone at Aldi made me feel very welcome wherever I was; in store, in the warehouse or at head office. The work ethic and passion for the company that Aldi employees have is infectious and meant that I threw myself into it from the beginning which was vital to succeed in such a fast paced environment. Overall the responsibility and opportunities that the Aldi placement offered throughout the year meant it was extremely rewarding and enjoyable.

In stores it is daunting to go into an environment of which you have no experience to work alongside and eventually manage people who have worked for the company for years. However the willingness of everyone to help you out makes you feel very welcome and valued. When at head office you are given the responsibility to carry out projects which can have an beneficial results for the business. When work that you have done is being used by directors within the company it makes you feel valuable.

The first two weeks of the placement were spent with an area manager mentor, this time allowed for a relationship to build up which then meant that throughout the year I always had a point of contact to support me if I ever had any issues. They also supervised my training that I received in store to ensure I was achieving everything required of me. The fact that I spent several weeks with my area manager at different points throughout the year meant that that relationship was maintained and they were always available to get in touch with even when at head office.

Aldi is an extremely fast paced environment which thrives on efficient operations. This often means that human resources are limited to maximise productivity. Everyone in store is trained to do every role so you are always doing something and contributing to the productivity of the store. Such is the nature of retail that there were always unexpected issues being thrown up which had to be dealt with whilst also trying to maintain the smooth running of the store. There is never a moment to sit still. The pace changes at head office but there is still an emphasis on efficiency. The main difference is that you are left to manage your own project work as you see fit so long as you meet your deadlines.

One of my favourite things about Aldi's placement was the amount of responsibility I was given. Once fully trained as a member of management I was given responsibility for certain areas of the store including taking charge of the safe and running the shifts. When at head office I was given a number of projects whereby I was given an aim but then left to work out the method myself which I found to be very rewarding.

My personal development throughout the year has been exponential. The main thing I have developed is professionalism. Working for Aldi teaches you how to conduct yourself in a business environment and to be able to communicate with people at every level of the business. This is a crucial skill which will increase your employability in the future. As well as this, aspects such as organisation, perseverance and adaptability are key areas that I have strengthened over the year and will be beneficial when returning to university for final year. Besides the general personal development the training and experiences you receive in store and at head office mean that should you wish to come back to Aldi as a graduate then you already possess so much knowledge of the business.

In store there was a great team atmosphere. It was relaxed in some respects but everyone knew there was a job to do and you all had to work hard for one another to get it done. At times it could feel frantic and become quite pressurised but that only added to the satisfaction at the end of the day. At head office there was a more professional atmosphere despite being slightly more relaxed with regards to the pace of work. You were always bumping into directors and area managers so had to conduct yourself appropriately at all times.

The Aldi placement is very well organised. Before applying you are made aware of exactly what you will be doing each week of the year. Whilst there can be slight deviations from the original plan in terms of timings, as far as content is concerned the placement student follows a training schedule for every section of the business. This is extremely beneficial as it means that in each department you and your trainer are both aware of what you have to be exposed to and learn during your time in the department. Th great benefit of the placement is that you get to spend time in stores first to get a grounding in the business before going to head office to enhance your knowledge of certain processes and gather a more holistic view of the company.

The company invests a lot in the training and development of the IP. There are numerous courses that they are put through such as first aid. The store managers often compete the IP's management training with them which takes up a lot of time and trainer hours. The Aldi academy also invests in an IP induction and review and the start and end of the year. Theses events allow the IP's to set out what they want to achieve from the year before getting back together 12 months later to see what they have achieved. These events can help focus your efforts for personal development.

The Aldi graduate programme is now extremely appealing to me having completed the placement. During the placement you are exposed to the role of an area manager (the role the grad scheme leads to) through spending several weeks shadowing and assisting an area manager in their day to day work. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about this role and having now got a years experience of Aldi I would love to return when I graduate.

During our store time it was difficult for us to socialise regularly as we were all placed in different cities within the Bathgate region. The IP induction event provided an opportunity to meet all the other placement students from around the country but given location it was hard to maintain contact with many of them. At head office it was good as we would see each other every day but again we were all still living in different cities where we had done our store times so outside of work the social scene amongst colleagues was minimal.

I lived in Edinburgh city centre so the cost was quite high. However this was not too much of an issue given the wage Aldi pays its placement students.

During store time it was difficult to commit to many activities as shift patterns tended to be all over the place. However once at head office and working 8-4.30 Monday to Friday you could plan a routine more easily and commit to more activities.