Lidl Graduate Scheme is a two year course providing opportunities for career development into Store Management, District Management, Buying and International opportunities.
Lidl first opened during the 1970s in Germany and within a decade the company was a household name across the county. Today the organisation has expanded so that there is now a Lidl store in almost every European country, including over 580 stores across the UK.
Lidl in the UK still has a strong link with their German arm and therefore higher level management, buyers and operations staff will have a significant advantage if they are fluent in both English and German.
Graduate Area / District Management Programme will see your first 6-9 months on a placement with real hands-on experience within the stores, leading to you managing your own store by the end of this period. You will then shadow an existing District Manager for the remainder of the programme.
Graduate Buying Opportunity Programme is based at the Lidl UK Stores Head Office in Wimbledon. After a short introductory period working within a store, you will deputise a Senior Buying Manager doing a wide range of tasks and liaising with all aspects of buying.
Graduate Store Manager Programme gives you all the management and leadership skills you will require to be a confident manager within the retail sector within 3-5 years depending on vacancies.
Graduate International Opportunities Programme is a total of 2 years and includes a 3 month secondment in a European store and insight into the four key aspects of their business: Purchasing; IT; Administration; and Central Services.
What is the recruitment process?
Search for current Graduate training opportunities on the Lidl careers website http://www.lidl.co.uk/cps/rde/xchg/lidl_uk/hs.xsl/4034.htm where you can also learn more about the company. Once you have found a suitable programme, complete the questionnaire online via their website where you will also be asked to upload your CV and covering letter.
If your application was successful you will be asked to complete a further psychometric questionnaire to determine that your personality is likely to fit in well within the team.
The third stage is a telephone interview – you will be contacted to agree a convenient time and date for a telephone interview to ensure you are the sort of candidate Lidl are looking to recruit.
If you are successful at the third stage you will be asked to attend a Recruitment Session which will usually last for the entire day, when you will be asked to complete a number of group and individual tasks whilst under observation. There will also be individual interviews to further discuss your background and give you the opportunity to ask questions about the position.
What should I expect?
The two year programmes are challenging, but are well recognised in the industry as giving you the essential managerial and communication skills to succeed in retail!
Whilst you’re training you can expect to earn a starting salary of £33k rising to possibly £53k within 3 years.
What do I need to apply?
For most of the Graduate Schemes you will require a 2:1 degree in a suitable course, and being fluent in English and German is required in the Buying and International programmes. Further details are available at the Lidl careers website.
They are offering a really generous starting salary and it’s only a two year training program so you can be fast-tracked into management really quickly
This is excellent for graduates wanting to go into retail or any other kind of management. The fact you can even go international here is even better. What a great opportunity
Supermarkets seem to be offering these schemes a lot, so you might want to consider applying to a few. I have heard that Lidl belongs to whoever Tesco belongs to, but this may just be a rumour.
They do all seem very similar, but there may be differences in the qualifications required, although all these schemes seem to want a 2:1 degree at least.