Today more university students are taking the option of a year out of their degree course to gain vital experience within a professional company. Not only does this offer an opportunity to develop professional skills, it’s a great way to open doors for a graduate position once they’ve got their degree. A year out could potentially give an undergraduate the opportunity to make a mark and leave a lasting impression.
Aldi is known for its demanding area management programme and has a reputation for recruiting the best candidates. Positioned at number three in the Times Top 100 they offer fantastic opportunities for candidates to progress in one of the fastest growing companies in the UK today. With this in mind Aldi has launched its own placement programme to attract motivated students who are keen to have a successful career in retail, making a mark early on at Aldi could ensure a bright career for the right candidate.Spending a year’s placement with Aldi can lead to rapid career progression. We spent some time with Oliver King, Store Operations Director at Aldi, who started his career with a placement year on the Aldi programme. “I studied for my degree at Manchester Metropolitan University and was inspired to apply for the placement programme mainly due to my genuine interest in retail management and the opportunities it would open up for me. Oliver firmly believes that taking a year out of studying at university brings other great benefits: “The placement at Aldi was challenging but it’s exactly what you need to stand out from the crowd. Having Aldi on my CV was a great addition and demonstrated my determination and ambition to achieve. Many of my friends who were on placement programmes were not open to such realistic and real business situations but Aldi’s scheme presented unrivalled management and leadership opportunities and after a year with the company I knew I wanted to apply for a place on their graduate scheme.”Spending a year with Aldi gave Oliver an insight into every aspect of the business: “From working as a store assistant to understanding the logistics and finances of a successful business, I got a complete view of the retail industry. I would more than recommend it to any student considering a career in retail.”After completing the retail scheme, Oliver joined the Aldi graduate training programme. After a successful start as an area manager Oliver quickly worked his way up to his current position of store operations director: “During a placement year you get to find out what you are made of and you experience the consequences of good and bad performance. In your academic life you tend to hear all the positives, in the professional world you gain a much more realistic view. It’s amazing how quickly you mature when you have real work to do!”Students considering a year in industry should be open to all the opportunities that are presented, it’s a chance to shine and really show off your strengths. Oliver believes his year spent with Aldi has a big part to play in his rapid career success; “It’s a tough challenge and you have to be prepared to gets your hands dirty. Aldi pay well, showing they value the effort you put in- it’s a proper wage for a proper day’s work.”Applications for the 2010 Aldi Retail Placement can be made from 19th October 2009 to 12th March 2010. Visit www.aldi.co.uk/recruitment for more information.
