Business on the Move: New board game to promote supply chain learning

Jungheinrich UK has sponsored the new Global Edition of the board game Business on the Move as part of its commitment to supporting tomorrow’s workforce of logistics and supply chain professionals. 

Logistics is a compelling career choice offering diverse opportunities, and taking this message into schools and colleges is essential to inspiring the next generation of professionals.

It’s the belief at Jungheinrich that organisations have a social responsibility to help bridge skills shortages and support tomorrow’s workforce, and collaboration between industry and educational institutions and initiatives, such as the Business on the Move board game, will be key to achieving this.

The game, which first launched in 2014, aims to encourage engagement with the supply chain in schools from an early age, while fostering greater gender diversity and challenging preconceptions. From IT experts to web developers and global logistics experts, Business on the Move will help raise awareness of the full range of career opportunities available within the industry.

With few of the 2,800 copies of the original UK version remaining, a cross-section of 42 supply chain organisations from around the world, including Jungheinrich UK, have come together to make the new Global Edition. Players must run multimodal businesses delivering freight as quickly, profitably and responsibly as they can, confronting business challenges met by the industry day-to-day.

Patricia Smedley, one of the game’s two co-creators and a Director of the social enterprise behind Business on the Move, comments:

“At a time of skills shortages and increasing globalisation it has never been more important to build the curiosity and interest of young people in supply chains from an early age. 

“It is important that ‘Logistics & Supply Chains’ become a career of choice rather than a fortunate accident. This requires those businesses and organisations in the sector to connect with young people, celebrating the importance of the industry, its relevance to their learning and its intrinsic ‘wow’ factor.”

Steve Richmond, Director – Logistics Systems, Jungheinrich UK, adds:

“At Jungheinrich, we feel strongly about the social responsibility we as an organisation have to help bridge skills shortages within our industry and support tomorrow’s workforce. Logistics is a compelling career choice offering diverse opportunities, but it is essential we take this message into schools and colleges if we’re to inspire the next generation of professionals. 

“Collaboration between industry and educational institutions and initiatives, such as the Business on the Move board game, will be key to achieving this, and we’re delighted to sponsor its new Global Edition. The game will help steer young people to acquiring the right skills for taking full advantage of the opportunities available to them – in an industry undergoing an exciting period of technological and operational change.”

Business on the Move is designed to meet the needs of widely differing learners, from pupils in primary school to post-graduates in international supply chain management, as well as trainees new to the sector.

Jungheinrich UK will utilise the Business on the Move board game within its own organisation, incorporating it into team bonding and induction days for new recruits, as part of its Apprentice workshops, and to engage with students during career days and fairs.