Industrial Placement Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my year-long placement with Aldi. The scheme is varied which keeps the work interesting and prevents it from becoming monotonous. The year can be thought of as two completely separate 6 month placements, with the first 6 months spent in store and the second spent doing projects at HO. Both halves of the placement were enjoyable and I was kept busy throughout.

I quickly became valued by my in store team. Once you have completed your initial training you are expected to be able to perform as an established member of staff. You work through the ranks, achieving Assistant Store Manager status towards the end of your 6 months in store, as such, the team quickly valued my contribution. In the second half of the placement you complete projects for all of the departments at HO. Much of the work we completed was put into everyday practice, showing that our work was valued.

I had regular updates with my direct leader who provided both positive and constructive feedback on each occasion. I found this useful and motivating - giving me goals to achieve throughout the year. On top of that I had 6 updates with my personnel leader throughout the year. These were held by a director at HO. This was a chance for formal feedback to be given as well as an opportunity for me to ask any questions.

It is no secret that at Aldi everyone works extremely hard. In store you are often overwhelmed with jobs and it is important to prioritise effectively. The pace at HO is slightly slower but the expectation that everyone works hard and productively remains.

This was a key factor in my decision to take the placement with Aldi and I was not disappointed. From the very beginning you are immersed into a high pressure environment. Examples include holding the safe key and running shifts as well as many other things. I was lucky enough to run all of the Christmas shifts in my store, this was a huge vote of confidence in me from my store manager. That said, it is usual for young people to be given such responsibility in Aldi - it is part of the culture.

The skills developed throughout this year will be invaluable. Prioritisation and productivity are two things I have improved throughout this year and will hopefully assist in my degree work next year.

The office is best described as Corporate but friendly. Staff are encouraged to say hello to everyone in the office and be friendly and respectful at all times. That said, the office maintains a strong working culture.

Generally speaking the placement was well organised. At the beginning of the year we were given a 52 week plan, detailing what we would be doing at every stage of the placement and when we would be taking our holidays. However, in some cases, particularly at HO, we arrived at a department who seemed surprised to see us. Consequently, in these cases little work was set for us.

The company invest heavily in your training throughout the year. Electronic tests have to be completed throughout the year and we were sent on numerous training courses, such as a first aid course.

At this moment in time we are yet to sit down and discuss our future employment opportunities, however, should I be offered an opportunity to return to Aldi, this is something I would not think twice about doing. I would love to spend my career with Aldi.

In my region there were 6 industrial placement students. We all got along and enjoyed socialising outside of work hours.

I lived at home during my placement.

I spent my store time in Scunthorpe so I suppose it depends on your taste...

Aldi encourage you to work hard and the retail environment can make it difficult to socialise outside of work. Nevertheless, the 6 of us enjoyed socialising at the weekends during our time at HO.