Apprentice Review

My role differs depending on what department I am based in as there are several departments in the warehouse. The current department I am in is cleaning and this consists of stripping the plastic and cardboard of the products so it makes life easier for the pickers and they have a better chance of achieving their pick rate. Sweeping is another daily task which needs to be carried out as this helps to keep the warehouse clean so things such as bits of wood and glass are cleaned up and it helps to meet certain health and safety requirements. A daily task is also to clean up any spillages so that the warehouse is clean and by cleaning it up and leaving a wet floor sign it helps to reduce/prevent injuries and accidents from happening such as someone slipping over or cutting themselves on broken glass. Once the cardboard and plastic have been stripped they are then taking to a compactor one for plastic and the other for cardboard and by separating the 2 his helps to make the company money. Any general waste is also put in the bin and dirty water is placed down the drain.

I have already developed some new skills so far during my time at Aldi such as being trained on a picker truck and hand truck, this has led to me being able to carry out specific job tasks such as restocking aisles were a reach truck cant get down. I believe that I have developed my awareness skills since I have been at Aldi due to the training I have been provided with on the hand and picker truck, it is important to be aware of surroundings so that here is less chance of an accident happening. I also believe I have improved my communication skills as when in the department "Goods in" I have had to deal with drivers which includes a lot of communication and due to this I believe this skill has been improved. Once my apprenticeship has been completed I believe that I will have learnt more new skills such as how to drive a reach truck, bulk truck and a forklift, I also believe I will have achieved a qualification in warehousing as well as leaning how to drive different vehicles.

So far I have enjoyed the time I have spent at Aldi as the work/jobs I have been asked to carry out and complete have been what I expected I would need to carry out and I have liked the departments I have been in so far, so currently it has met my expectations. I have also enjoyed working as a team as this makes specific tasks easier to carry out and by having a team to work with they can motivate you throughout the course of the day which can help the day go faster and lead to more enjoyment in the work place.

Currently I don't feel to valued by Aldi but I put this down to the small amount of time I have been here, overtime and after more training on certain vehicles and in certain departments I feel I will be more valued to the company due to the experience of being in several departments. An example of a task where I feel valued was when I was on the desk on goods in and I had to check the drivers in as this is quite an important role within the department and I felt valued when carrying out this role.

I believe that my programme is well structured and organised as my mentor as provided all of he apprentices with a training plan where they will spend time in each department of the warehouse and it allows them to be aware when they are moving departments and prepare more such as brining s chiller jacket in when working in the chiller. the programme has also been based on the amount of training I have had, for example when I was working with goods in I was only in the department for 1 month this was due to me not receiving any training on the bulk truck and this is very important for goods in when moving stock to the other side of the warehouse and the tasks I could carry out were limited which is why the time on the department was reduced from 2 months to 1. There is a monthly meeting between all of the apprentices and our mentor which allows us to raise any issues and queries we have and how they will be dealt with so being provided with support means the programme is vey well organised. We can also request to see our mentor individually rather than as a big group which can be more useful when wanting a resolution to a problem as you will feel that your message is being dealt with rather than being swept under the carpet.

We are provided with a lot of support from our mentor, for example one apprentice had a problem and told the mentor who then went and dealt with the problem without addressing the apprentices name, which I believe is a good way of dealing with situation as no names are getting brought up so this means they aren't going to get targeted or treat differently from anyone else. Due to there being a monthly meeting with the apprentices it means they don't have to wait a long period of time before addressing any problems or issues that they might be having in the workplace.

We receive a good amount of support from the employer as there are many people we can see if we have got a problem for example mentors, deputies, section leaders and managers. You are likely to start of with mentors and then go to someone higher up if you don't believe the issues are being dealt with and they are still on going. Aldi have the attitude of wanting to support and protect their staff which is why they have things such as disciplinary etc. in place for matters which require them.

My current salary pretty much covers my costs for a range of things however I also have a part time job which covers my petrol money. ! issue I have about this is during our first year we are only contracted to 30 hours a week and I believe this could be more especially in certain departments where the rest of the staff are working or longer.

When I am not working I like to stay active by playing football a couple of times a week or going to boxing classes to stay fit and learn new skills. I also follow Newcastle and Tow law and try to go to as many games as possible on a weekend regardless as to whether they are home or away. During the workplace activities outside of work can be arranged such as small games of football such as the apprentices against some of the deputies which is a good way to bond outside of work.

Yes

I would recommend Aldi as there are many different departments which means you aren't going to be doing the same work over and over again due to being placed in every department it means you will be carrying out different tasks and learning new skills instead of days repeating themselves over and over again this is also a good way to keep motivation levels high and it wont drain the energy out of you. So far I haven't encounter any problems since working for Aldi but even if I had I know there are a number of people I could speak to if I was having any issues and I am very confident that the matter would be dealt with, without any names being brought into the situation.

If I was giving advice to others applying for Aldi then I would encourage them to be honest in their CV and interview and talk about themselves and what they like to do outside of work. I would also encourage them to stay calm during the interview and ask questions when being shown around the warehouse as this will show youre listening and taking an interest into what is being said.