Meet
Andy Page and Patricia Smedley, former UK teachers and
as unlikely a duo for change as you might expect.
These
two have concocted a board game intended to excite and
inspire 9-19 year olds about logistics and the global
supply chain.
The
game is called “Business on the Move,” and
their particular dream became a reality for kids in
the UK in the summer of 2014.
 Teaching
Kids Logistics
The
basic concept of the game is that players run a logistics
business moving different products from China to their
domestic market by land, air, and sea as quickly, profitably,
and environmentally responsibly as they can.
Players
must make the same decisions businesses make every day:
How do I deliver? Will I make a profit? How should I
grow? How can I cut my carbon footprint?
Logistics
Real Time
That’s
right—this old-fashioned board game is no mirage.
Some
educational folks dare to bring to the 21st Century
world of cell-phones, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter,
Vine, Snapchat, et al, a board game that at first glance
looks like a Monopoly clone, with little pieces including
trucks, airplanes, and ULDs.
And no, the young kids
should not chew on the game pieces and the older kids
should not shove them up their noses.
What we are hearing is
that so far the kids and their parents as well love
the experience of learning about an industry that few
had even imagined about prior to “Business on
the Move.”
“As teachers we
recognized ‘Business on the Move’ would
need to be extremely versatile, relevant to different
subjects, and sufficiently flexible to meet the needs
of widely differing learners,” Patricia Smedley
told FlyingTypers.
“In fact, the response
from the logistics industry has been so positive, ‘Business
on the Move’ can now be played at seven different
levels, including at the higher end with such aspects
as pillarization, reverse logistics, and cash flow,”
Andy Page adds.
Platform
For Learning
“Two-thirds of
our games were distributed, free of charge, into schools
and colleges nominated by our fifty business sponsors,”
Andy Page said.
“‘Business
on the Move’ can also be used as a training tool
with apprentices, graduates, and other new recruits
as well as existing staff,” Mr. Page added.
Not
For Profit
“Our business is
a particular form of social enterprise called a Community
Interest Company (or CIC).
“Our company is
limited by guarantee.
“There are no dividends
and any profits we might make are ‘asset-locked’
by statute and must be invested in the community,”
Page and Smedley insist.
Looking
For Sponsors
“In partnership
with our sponsors we are currently creating a portfolio
of learning activities for classroom use after playing
the game,” said Andy Page.
“The exercises
highlight what our sponsors do and provide young people
with a realistic insight into supply chains and business
as a whole.”
“Our aim is to provide
teachers, trainers, and their young people with a variety
of versatile exercises that enrich learning across the
curriculum and celebrate the diversity of the logistics
sector at one and the same time. ‘Business on
the Move’ is therefore much more than a fun board
game.
“It is a flexible
learning platform for young people of all abilities,
from the age of nine upwards,” Patricia Smedley
said.
Fun'n'Games
Business Model
“We are most grateful
to the fifty business partners that have collectively
sponsored our enterprise,” Patricia adds.
“They truly represent
a cross-section of UK supply chains including SMEs,
household names, professional/trade bodies, and multinationals.
“Their support
is enabling more than 1,800 games of our 2,800 production
run to go free-of-charge, with training and support,
into some 500 schools and colleges across the UK.
“The remaining games,
along with access to the associated bank of learning
activities, are available to purchase through our website.
“Our aim now is
to generate sufficient sales revenue to finance a second
production run, to take the game international and thereby
sustain our social enterprise’s work to excite
young people everywhere about the world of business,”
Patricia Smedley said.
While you hear and read
about various captains of the transportation industry
stressing the importance of education, here under our
collective noses is a game that can point thousands
of youngsters into a possible career in logistics.
Teaching
Kids Logistics
“‘Business
on the Move’ aims to inspire and excite young
people about how business and global supply chains work,
make connections between the classroom and business
reality, and develop the ‘employability’
that young people need in their future working lives,”
Page and Smedley declare.
So move over Scrabble,
Settlers of Catan, Orleans, and Evolution.
Here comes ‘Business
on the Move’ to open the door for young minds
everywhere to learn about the world of logistics.
Imagine: classrooms filled
with nine- and ten-year-old children learning about
logistics.
Guess what?
Somebody already did.
http://www.businessonthemove.org/
Geoffrey |
100%
Green