Pros
Good exposure to the jewellery retail industry and opportunity to meet supportive colleagues during the programme. Able to get bonus & increment even contract.
Cons
The programme lacks a proper training structure and clear guidance for trainees. Many managers are not familiar with the GEMS programme and sometimes treat trainees like interns. Trainees are expected to perform like experienced staff despite receiving only an average trainee-level salary. Salary increments are low, no benefits like allowance, no parking for staff, medical insurance is very low, and exposure to meaningful responsibilities can be limited depending on the department. The programme is often described as a “fast-track” opportunity, but progression largely depends on vacancy availability, making the path to permanent roles unclear. Each intake tends to hire a large number of trainees (around 10–17 per batch with multiple batches each year), which can create heavy competition for limited permanent positions. If the goal is to develop future leaders, the intake size may be too large compared to the available opportunities for progression. In some cases, trainees may end up filling gaps across departments rather than following a clearly structured development programme.