Industrial Placement 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

4.6/5
  • The Role
    4.9
  • The Company
    4.4
  • The Culture
    4.4

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • I thoroughly enjoyed my placement year with Aldi. The job role is advertised as one that is full of responsibility and one which you will develop massively. I can honestly say that this is a true reflection of my year, and I know that the skills that I have learned this year will be crucial to me when I return to University.

    5/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • When you join Aldi, even though you are enrolled as a placement student, you are viewed as an Area Manager. This can be daunting at first as the Area Manager role is a highly respected and a very challenging role, but this expectation helps you develop right from day one and brings with it the respect of the rest of the Area Manager team.

    5/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • Support is a fundamental part of the placement programme at Aldi. I had a meeting with my Area Manager mentor every week to discuss my performance and any feedback for improvement. I then had an update with my director every 6-8 weeks to discuss this feedback in more detail. At no point did I ever feel like I lacked guidance and that was mostly due to the structure of my year.

    5/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • Very! Aldi pride themselves on being one of the most efficient businesses worldwide, and this is reflected in the job role that I undertook. In my placement year, I spent 7 months in stores and 5 months undertaking projects in all aspects of the business. In both areas, I was set strict deadlines in order to complete work as quickly as possible, which meant that I always had something to do. However, this is what I loved most about the placement.

    5/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • In my first 10 weeks with Aldi, I was tasked with completing a project that was a business critical issue. This was then rolled out regionally. That should give you a sense of the responsibility given to me from such an early stage. I was also trained to run a busy store in Cardiff and was responsible for managing the team within it after only 4 months with the company. Aldi expect big things from you early on in your time with the business, but it is so beneficial for your development.

    5/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • As my degree is in History and Politics, only a small percentage of the knowledge based information I have learned this year will help further me in my degree. However, the development in my organisational, leadership and time management skills has been phenomenal and will be a great asset to me when I return to University.

    5/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • Everyone in the office in Cardiff was extremely friendly and made us feel welcome from the start. I was only in the office in the second half of my placement as the first half was spent in stores. However, once I came to the office, I really enjoyed it. We spent the first week of our time in the office spending an hour with each person in each department learning about what their role was and a little bit about them. This helped create a really friendly environment and made me feel comfortable straight away.

    5/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • Organisation is one of Aldi's many strengths, and the structure of my placement was no different. I had a pre-start meeting with my Area Manager mentor who gave me my training plan. This meant I knew every part of my year before I had even started it. My plan was very structured, with designated time in each store that I was training in, as well as allotted time for each project.

    5/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • My training was very intense and was very well structured towards me. I can honestly say that the number one goal for Aldi during my year was my personal development. I was given multiple projects that developed my presentational skills, leadership skills and teamwork skills.

    5/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Company Parties/Events

    Above 25 days holiday

    Working from home

    3/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • I would love to work for Aldi in the future after the great placement year I have had, and I am delighted to say that I have been offered to return to the company after I graduate from University.

    5/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • I was on placement with 3 other placement students during the year and we all got on fantastically. Whilst we were all in different stores for the first part of the year, we caught up a lot more in the second half of the year. There were social events at Christmas and events organised between the Area Managers so there was plenty of opportunity to socialise.

    4/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • Cardiff is a large city but due to the student population it was very reasonable. I lived with other students who went to Cardiff University so I wasn't living on my own for the year, but cost of living was very cheap.

    5/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • Cardiff is a great city for nightlife. There is events on every night, particularly when the students are in the city for University.

    5/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • Aldi focus very heavily on supporting their registered charity Teenage Cancer Trust and so are always putting on events to get involved in. I did the Cardiff Half Marathon in October, as well as Area Manager golf days and 5-a-saide football tournaments, all in aid of TCT. There were also social events fairly frequently which was great to be involved in.

    4/5

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Details

Placement (10 Months+)

Wales

July 2018


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