Management Apprentice Review

As a Year 1 Management Apprentice I assume the role of a Store Assistant. The jobs that are required of me change on a day-to-day basis, but generally when needed, I'll be given the role of a cashier, which could be for an entire shift or just part of one. When I'm not on a till, I could be working various kinds of back stock or even completing a delivery, if it is before trading hours commence then most likely I'll be completing a delivery. Sometimes I could be given a specific task by a manager such as completing an availability check or performing test trolleys on cashiers.

I have developed upon existing skills such as counting change at speed. I have also developed new skills such as working efficiently as a team, communicating clearly with team members so the task at hand runs smoothly, interacting with customers and dealing with customer's requests/complaints.

I do enjoy coming to work at Aldi, the interaction between myself and customers, and myself and my co-workers is the highlight of my experience. Although, there are some instances where I don't enjoy a shift and my head drops, for example, butting heads with co-workers over how certain things should be done. Some manager's responses when I struggle with a task and complete the task beyond my time target, for example, I know that I need to be told that I have failed the expectations set by the manager, which is fair, but a couple of managers don't follow this up with words of encouragement and how to do better next time. On the other hand, the workload set by my tutor is more than reasonable although sometimes it feels like there is too little given that I have a month per assignment.

The feeling of being valued by members of staff comes and goes, staff that thank me for the job I've done today or tell me I've done well on a task make me feel valued and good about myself, it's just those instances where I'm not thanked or told I've done a good job which don't make me feel valued.

The programmed is well structured with a new assignment being given to me each month in a meeting with my tutor, however the organisation is a bit sloppy. For example, my tutor turning up to the store unannounced and expecting to be able to see me without first consulting my managers prior to the visit. The lack of communication and organisation between my tutor and my managers is the key issue, mainly to the fault of my tutor.

My tutor who is a representative of First4SKills only comes in once a month to give me a new assignment and go over the previous assignment I have completed, aside from that I have barely any contact with my tutor and therefore not much support.

I receive a great deal of support in the form of managers and my co-workers. I'm always able to go to them if I am struggling with a task or I have a personal issue.

As am I currently living at home, the salary more than meets my costs and exceeds them 100% of the time.

I'm not sure what is meant by this question, if it means are the many opportunities to improve myself outside of work then obviously yes there is.

Yes

It's a good company to work for, they're very organised and the pay is more than enticing. You'll make many new friends once you start and you start your career to possibly progress to a higher job role such as Deputy Store Manager.

Be prepared to work hard, get a sweat going, and get your running shoes on. Aldi isn't for everyone in a sense that some people may not agree how things are run or that shifts that start at 5:30am or end at 2:00am aren't within their means.