Industrial Placement Student Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement at ALDI. I was lucky enough to gain exposure to various projects and departments and given a high level of responsibility. I would reccomend the placement to students who are looking for a fast paced environment where you will be pushed to work to your best ability.

You feel valued at ALDI and if you deliver consistently you will have no issues working within your team. Even as a placement student you are treated with respect and you are given tasks which even potentially affect senior stakeholders which range from managers to even the ALDI GB/IE CEO!

You do have a thorough on boarding which is complete with a training plan too. However, after your initial on boarding you will be placed in the deep end and if you're able to adapt to this it will prove a useful tool throughout your placement and even beyond it.

Depending on the department you work in you will see peaks and troughs in the workload. Being prepared for this is a difficult adjustment at first especially if you're used to a consistent workload similar to that you'd recieve at university I would recommend you temper your expectations. Make sure you ask for more responsibility if you can handle would be a top tip!

Early on during your placement you are given a significant amount of responsibility. Depending on how you adjust to this could be what determines your success or failure during your placement year. Being able to adapt to changing requirements and being flexible will also help with balancing various responsibilities.

This is difficult to quantify as I'm sure all that you learn during your placement can be transferred to your daily life or even during your university time. However I would say that quite a bit of the skills you learn are quite niche to ALDI however with all things you can apply the theory to different fields.

The atmosphere in the office was always buzzing and there was always something exciting to look forward to. I would say that there is a good level of fun and a professional environment too which is good to experience if this is your first time in a corporate environment. I enjoyed the balance.

The overall placement was prepared well with training plans provided and a good level on boarding. ALDI has been running their industrial placement programme for quite a while now so they are definitely well versed in how to provide a holistic experience tailored to the department you are working in.

You complete a standard array of training as part of your industrial placement program and from then onwards any additional training requested or required would be at the discretion of your manager. There are possibilities for additional training however you must demonstrate a necessity for you to attend the training.

There is potential to apply to the graduate scheme at ALDI.

Unfortunately there is limited to no social events organised between the placement students across departments. I would recommend that during your induction which is one of the few times you will meet some of your fellow placement students to exchange numbers and organise any social events or even discuss your progress during the placement.

As the area of the ALDI head office is quite remote the surrounding areas to live in are relatively cheap. I would recommend avoiding big cities like Birmingham or Coventry and try to find a rental property in the smaller towns which are an easier commute whilst also being cheaper to rent in.

Poor options for nightlife unless your willing to travel to neighbouring towns. Luckily the transport links are quite good and therefore visiting such towns isn't too much of a hassle.

There weren't many social opportunities outside of work as the location of the office itself was quite remote. There were a few fitness classes held on site but apart from that options were limited. I would recommend that you explore the neighbouring cities as they have a lot more options outside of work.