From Graduate Programme to Employee: A Career in Sustainability

What was your experience in the Graduate Trainee Programme and your decision to transit into a full-time role?

Throughout the two-year programme, I had the opportunity to express my preferences to join our different departments. My rotations were as follows:

1.    Textiles – Merchandising
2.    Hardgoods – Sourcing
3.    Human Resources – Learning & Development
4.    Sustainability

I was given many great opportunities to pursue my interests and challenge myself in all departments. Under Merchandising, I learned about the core of our business, explored the Product Development function and took an external course on the basics of textiles. In Sourcing, I managed the onboarding process for our suppliers, worked on a variety of strategic projects under Operations and had the opportunity to visit our factories in India and Malaysia. In HR, I led the content development of our internal onboarding platform, organised staff engagement events for the office and assisted our Talent Acquisition team for recruitment. My managers and teammates provided me with great exposure and guidance, allowing me to step out of my comfort zone and learn more about my strengths and areas to develop.

With a personal interest in sustainability, I requested for a rotation to the department and was fortunate to join the team for my last rotation. Under Sustainability, I supported in research projects, data management, and led our company’s annual Sustainability Week, an internal event dedicated to promoting a sustainability mindset amongst our colleagues. Leading Sustainability Week was my greatest challenge as a Graduate Trainee, and also my proudest achievement in the two years.

After a few months with the team, I communicated my interest to join full-time to my supervising senior and team manager. They made the case for me to convert permanently, considering the department’s needs, my strengths, interests and career goals, and I was grateful and excited to join the team as a Sustainability Analyst leading on data and reporting. It was a smooth transition as I continued working on existing projects and gradually took on more responsibilities. With the increasing need to incorporate sustainability into all our business processes and corporate culture, I am passionate about our continuous work to make L&K Asia greener every day, taking responsibility for our impacts and offering more sustainable products for our customers.

Tell us your experience of the corporate culture at Lidl & Kaufland Asia

Despite rotating across a range of roles and teams, the people and culture remained the same throughout. In all departments, I am grateful to have had capable and supportive supervisors to learn from, that invested in my development and credited my achievements. The organisation’s structure is also flat, and I was given multiple opportunities to work with senior leadership, who are friendly and approachable. I am also most grateful to my fellow Graduate Trainees, who shared the experience together and continue to provide strong support and camaraderie.

What do you do after work or on weekends or how would you like to unwind after work

Outside of work, I love all kinds of games, all kinds of crafts, and spending time with my family and friends.

What advices would you like to share to others to make the most of their Graduate Trainee Programme @ L&K Asia

I would recommend the Graduate Programme to those who are interested to explore a variety of roles and have a strong willingness to learn. The experience is most rewarding when you are open-minded and push yourself to take on projects and tasks that are unfamiliar, learning all that you can out of it.

Jen (backrow, first from the right) at a beach cleanup event