Your Tasks
During the first six months you will be posted in one of our stores in your country of employment, receiving extensive basic training to handle your first management responsibilities. Throughout the next four months, you will get to know our international business and take on project-related activities in one of our other European operational business units. The subsequent two-month job rotation in the central division of your country of employment will give you further insights and an active role in two selected departments. Another exciting project on a comprehensive topic then awaits you for the next three months in our Austrian or German headquarters. In the last month of your program you will get to know the local interfaces and contacts regarding your future position within REWE International.
During the Trainee Program, you will benefit from a personal mentor, group-wide networking, and professional exchange with managers. Furthermore, you will receive special professional and personal development training courses and coaching.
Why should trainees choose our program?
It’s actually quite simple: Because we put people and their talents and interests first! As a consequence, there are no pre-set stations in the central rotation, nor is the target position of our trainees predefined. We trust that our trainees, based on their strengths and interests, will find their perfect entry position and will be able to develop optimally!
The Process
The International Management Trainee Program is based on the principle of getting to know retail „from scratch“ and giving the trainee the widest possible impression of REWE International. The program focuses on the areas of sales, foreign countries, headquarters and project work. It consists of a total of five training blocks, which are accompanied by in-depth training or coaching sessions. Regular feedback meetings with Strategic HRM RIAG (AUT) provide you individual support, and you will benefit from a personal mentor during the whole program. Below you will find a short overview.
PHASE 1: STORE
The program starts in the home country (to complete the store module in the local language). During this training module, the trainees receive a comprehensive insight into the processes of a store in their home country and learn about the challenges of sales. The trainees pass through all areas and actively participate in shaping the daily business at the point of sale. Towards the end of the store module, the trainees independently take on management tasks and relieve the store manager of his or her duties.
PHASE 2: INTERNATIONAL PROJECT
In this phase of the trainee program, the trainees have the opportunity to work on a project-related task at one of our European foreign subsidiaries and thus become familiar with the country-specific conditions and processes. Projects are reported to the central strategic HRM according to the needs of the countries and are selected and chosen here. All projects are reported to Strategic HRM RIAG (AUT) and then selected in coordination with the trainees.
PHASE 3: ROTATION I – in depth rotation in two departments
The subsequent two-month in-depth job rotation in the central department of the respective home country provides the trainees with an insight into and involvement in two selected departments (one month each) and allows them to meet new contact persons. A rotation period lasts 1 month, in order to take away as much knowledge and experience as possible from one department – after one month the trainee switches to another department.
PHASE 4: HEADQUARTER PROJECT
In this phase, the trainee works independently on a project at the corporate headquarters or supports a team in project implementation. Thereby, the trainee gains a deeper understanding of the interrelationships in a retail company. The project is carried out in interdisciplinary areas that deal with strategy, business development or development & consulting.
PHASE 5: ROTATION II – short rotation
The final quick rotation allows the trainees to get to know other relevant areas of the central departments for the future position in the company. The rotation is tailored to the trainee’s needs. The objective of Central Rotation II is to get to know interface departments that are relevant and helpful for the selected target position. In contrast to Rotation I, quicker rotations are planned here. The duration of the rotations can vary from ½ day to max. 5 days per department. The final position is defined during this phase at the latest.
With its premiere in 2016, TraineeNet established the TraineeNet Award to compare the many different trainee programs and to determine and measure their quality. In 2019, the TraineeNet Award 2019/2020 was awarded to REWE International AG for a “real & fair trainee program”.
