Management Apprentice Review

My job title at Aldi is Management Apprentice. My daily tasks depends on whether I am running shift or being part of the team. If I am running shift, I will be responsible for store standards, availability, managing store assistants on their deliveries, rotation, pallet times, till speeds and shop floor work, completing paperwork and planning for the day ahead. If I am part of the team, I will oversee availability, store standards, replenish stock and provide customer service. I interact a lot with my team to understand where things are at on the shop floor or to help others out if they are looking for a job to do. I speak externally with my apprenticeship assessor and with the management team on Whatsapp. My responsibility is to send food to Fareshare and to write out a weekly message to all store assistants, giving an update on whats going on within the business.

I have learnt new skills studying my level 3 qualification in retail. I have learnt about customer service, how to deal with conflict, consumer law and the data protection act. This is helpful to me learning the theory because I can then use this knowledge in a practical situation when appropriate. I use Aldis external learning portal online, which taught me in my first year of my apprenticeship new skills to become a fully fledged store asstant. This helped me understand how Aldi operates and has made me more confident as the website improves your knowledge. I have improved my personal skills. The biggest personal skill I have improved on is not to beat myself up when I make a mistake and to move on from it. My former store manager pointed this out to me and has helped me overcome it. I have learnt how to run a shift when we are up against it and learnt how to prioritise to keep things running smoothly. I have learnt the basics of becoming a store assistant and have perfected these for a year. I am now developing my skills further by managing people on things and teaching new starters how to do things the right way.

I do enjoy my job at Aldi. I enjoy the people I work with, the work I do. My favourite delivery is produce because you can make it look very appealing. The culture at Aldi is very hard working and everyone pulls their weight and everyone pulls together to get the job done, which is nice - everyone wants to achieve the goals set. The programme has met my expectations in that it has taught me a lot and I am constantly learning however I believe it can be better structured and organised.

I feel appreciated by the managemtn team. Evrytime i finish my shift they always thank me for my work, like they do any other member of staff. I believe people at work recognise my ability and therefore put me on the shop floor rather than on a till, as they feel my ability is better used here. I feel involved in the daily achievement of trying to complete tasks. There is a lot of communication with how we are getting on when doing tasks.

I feel my apprenticeship qualification is well structured with lifetime training. My assessor is very organised and good at his job. However, I feel that my apprenticeship at work isn't structured very well or organised either. If you look at what Aldi promises you month by month, and what I am doing, I am missing out on a lot. This is because there is not generally enough time for it in store. My apprenticeship isn't structured it is as and when. I am supposed to have a quarterly meeting with my area manager but have never had one. I do have monthly meetings with my store manager which is good. I do feel my progression is down to me and the higher up managers are not saying you need to be here with your apprenticeship by a certain date and aiming for this. If I want to learn something, I think it is down to me. My old store manager was very hands on and used to push me a lot which was great for my confidence and progression but I don't get this anymore.

My tutor [This section of the comment has been removed by a member of the RateMyApprenticeship Team because it did not meet our site terms and conditions] from Lifetime training is brilliant! He always responds to my emails if I have a question, gives me feedback on every session I have with him and sets me work to complete by a certain time. We have a general chat about work each session which is good if I need to talk about something. He supports me and encourages me to aim high. enjoy my sessions with [This section of the comment has been removed by a member of the RateMyApprenticeship Team because it did not meet our site terms and conditions]!

I feel like the management team will have my back if I needed help with anything. I wanted to understand how we carry out risk assessments at Aldi and my assistant manager was very thorough in helping me understand this. Having a Whatsapp group is also very useful if the managers are not there to help. I do feel like the managers would gladly help me if I was stuck.

I started at Aldi on £5.60 which was tough but now I am on £7.50 and doing a lot of hours, so I am able to meet living costs and social/daily costs. The only thing that annoys me is that people get paid more than me to do the same job. My apprenticeship is government funded and I study a maximum of 6 hours a month of this qualification, the rest is spent working. So yes, very frustrating at times.

Last year, the team done a Santa fun run for Teenage cancer trust which was good fun and good for team morale. This Sunday we are going out for a picnic together and then doing the pub quiz. It is always nice to have a get together outside of work. We always have leaving dos for staff members to which is nice! I play squash outside of work and have offered to play with members of the team. I have always worked, from a young age I started in the family business.

Yes

Yes, but only to a certain type of person because at Aldi you have to have something about you. The ability to work hard and at a fast pace. I would only recommend Aldi to one of my friends if I thought they had the potential to succeed.

Take time over the application as Aldi are very thorough when accepting applicants. Explain what you have to offer. In the interview you need to have a positive attitude and to ask questions about the company. Why are we different to other supermarkets? I had a trial day at Aldi, my advice is to work hard and ask plenty of questions and not to be afraid to ask if you are stuck.