Lidl - Placement Year Review

The variety of work experience gained over the last 11 months have been invaluable to my learning. The type of work has been extremely varied and challenging; giving insight into all aspects of the business from a bottom level up perspective. The teams were fundamental in my learning offering key training and support.

Over the placement year, I have gained great feedback from my colleagues, hard work was greatly valued by the team. Teams were very important for feedback and support; I feel as though I was greatly valued by the team as I was given a lot of responsibility once I had the necessary skills.

There are lots of opportunities to ask for support and guidance over the placement year; key support was given from the training consultants at a regional level who could provide a different perspective and guide you through your training. As rotations through the placement year and the business occurred, the managers who were part of the different teams provided guidance and support on how to best improve, develop and learn.

Being part of a lean, productive company meant that all colleagues had a large impact on business operations. The placement scheme provides a bottom level up training experience which ensures you see all areas and gain transferable knowledge during your rotation which gives perspective on the workload and responsibilities of the teams which work at Lidl.

I was able to gain a vast amount of responsibility whilst at Lidl. During the store rotation, I was given the keys to the store and regularly opened and closed the store as the duty manager; especially during Christmas week when the store was at its busiest. During the HR rotation; I took over from a colleague and fulfilled their full time role as a regional Training APA for over a month during the busy summer period. This responsibility was fundamental to my learning and I loved being given and trusted with this responsibility.

The skills I learnt offered a hands on and practical experience where I could use the knowledge learnt at university and put it into practice. The training I was offered allowed me to gain a company perspective on development needs and offered another perspective on development. The knowledge gained provide an insight into a large scale business and people management.

Due to the lean and productive nature of the business, there is an expectation of the level and standards to work to, however there is a great work atmosphere in all areas of the business and the teams provide support and different ways to tackle a task that can be fun and interesting.

The placement offered a structured plan to the year ahead, however due to business needs, sometimes the plan varied and could change. The teams would always ask which learning and development you needed, which could then ensure that the plan could be followed. Extra training was always offered or could be asked to have.

The placement year is full of opportunities to learn and develop your knowledge of business and yourself. I was able to develop personal and professional competences. I felt extremely valued and invested in due to the training and experiences I was able to gain over the year and the feedback I could gain to develop further.

After the placement ends, I have been offered a part time job within HR for when I go back to university. This is something I jumped at as I’ve loved my time at Lidl and didn’t want to leave! I would love to have a career with Lidl and that is something that is extremely appealing!

The placement students and I were able to meet up four times over the year for both training and social events. Gaining a perspective from them and getting support from the other placement students was great and necessary as they all complete the same training and know exactly what you’re going through.

I was able to commute from home to all of the locations I worked at, this made the cost of living a lot cheaper and meant that I could save money and choose to socialise and spend valuable time on my days off doing the things I want to do.

Due to the fact that I commuted an hour to my places of work, I chose not to experience the nightlife in those surrounding areas.

There are staff parties, team building exercises and placement student meet ups during the year which meant that I could be involved in lots of activities outside of work.