As the sixth largest container shipping company in the world, Ocean Network Express (ONE) provides a network service covering 120 countries with a fleet capacity of over 200 vessels and is a truly international company.
Typically we take on each year at ONE in Germany/across Europe some 10-15 apprentices.
It is very important that our new cohort of young people quickly gain a glimpse of what working in logistics/shipping is like and how exciting it can be! They must understand how global trade and logistics work and really appreciate how global supply chains affects our daily lives
Some fifteen months ago, by arrangement, we customised multiple games by integrating ONE into actual game play and have since used Business on the Move to help develop this understanding of ONE’s role in global trade in an interactive and enjoyable way. The game has been played internally (onboarding, during team workshops) as well as externally.
The game is played with 20-30 students during their work orientation weeks at school. Students are normally at the age of 15 or above, especially in non-English speaking countries, so their English is good enough to grasp messages in the cards that are fundamental to game play.
Inspired by the twenty Newsflashes downloadable from the game’s Learning Zone, Ocean Network Express is living up to our name by deciding to go ONE step further.
During May 2020 our Euro apprentices were challenged to create their own Newsflash* that would, not only constitute a novel and valid addition to playing Business on the Move, it was to capture the reality of the issues that the apprentices have learned face the sector in our daily work as a container shipping line.
Some of the newsflashes are directed at students or people who are not familiar with the shipping sector whereas others are directly relating to current issues in the shipping business.
Our apprentices have created six newsflashes altogether the first one of which can be accessed by clicking here.
The other five newsflashes, listed below, are downloadable by those organisations with a minimum of 4 games and a dedicated personal login to our Learning Zone ~ see the Note at the end of this article for further details.
Newsflashes suitable for all game levels 1-3:
THE ALLIANCE ~ Create an alliance with another player for mutual benefit, picking your partner(s) wisely!
CONTAINER LOST AT SEA ~ The dangers caused by lost and floating containers.
VIRUS OUTBREAK ~ The whole world is put on lockdown with borders closed.
Newsflashes suitable for game levels 2-3 only:
VESSEL SHARING AGREEMENT (VSA) ~ Ship owners must respond to a new VSA.
MARPOL 20 ~ New and much tougher regulations to limit sulphur emissions.
The six newsflashes ‘raise the bar’, challenging players to respond to a change in the business environment.
When we play the game in non-English speaking countries, we receive particularly positive feedback from teachers of English. Students appreciate how important a good level in English language is for many job opportunities, thereby boosting their efforts to study English since they see the real “need” and “sense” in it.
Not only have the newsflashes reinforced the connectivity of the Business on the Move to our business operations, the very act of their creation has added a new and imaginative dimension to our training programme… you might say they are “good news all round”!
*Note:
Creating your own newsflashes is an option for organisations with 4 games or more that would like to add this particular emphasis to the game.
The template “Musical front and back ends” for the Newsflashes are downloadable from our Learning Zone by teachers /trainers using their dedicated login, available without charge to all organisations which have a minimum of 4 games.
If you have got at least 4 games but not got your own personal login, simply email your request, along with your full contact details, to info@businessonthemove.org