Could It Work For You?

Is your organization looking for engaging and effective new work experiences for your employment program, so that participants can learn hands-on and develop these skills faster and better? If so JK Distributors may be for you.

See how our business simulation is used as a core component of the job training program at the Boston Training, Inc. site using Lester Hill Ltd., a precursor of JK Distributors. View it here.

JK Distributors - A realistic business simulation

JK Distributors, Inc. (JKD), a high touch - high tech business simulation. As a mock company, JK Distributors sells equipment and supplies to residential institutions such as hotels, motels, hospitals, and university dormitories. As employees of JK Distributors and its partner companies, participants develop technical and soft skills by working in teams to solve real work problems. Participants learn how a business operates as they deal with workflow bottlenecks, incomplete orders, the effect tardiness and absenteeism, complaints from customers and interpersonal conflicts. By working in a range of positions from general manager to payroll clerk, participants gain hands-on experience of being supervised and supervising. This is all done in a safe and supportive environment full of opportunities to learn, reflect and grow. Click here to watch this video showing you how trainees interact with each other in the work flow.

JK Distributors - Years of development investment and proven results

Training, Inc. is a national network of local job training organizations interested in creating and sharing effective workforce development strategies. JK Distributors is a product of Training Inc.'s thirty years of experience in running business simulations.

A number of years ago, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston worked with Training, Inc. to develop a web-based business simulation that provides workforce development organizations with everything they need to operate this simulated business. Over the last several years, we have refined the simulation by developing comprehensive documentation, a commercial SaaS hosting environment and a customer support environment.

JK Distributors - What you need for it to work for you

To operate effectively, the following technical resources are needed:

• Computer workstation for each "employee" of JK Distributors with the ability to organize seating to reflect the company structure during the simulation.
• Internet connection able to support all trainees logging in simultaneously.
• LCD projector for orientation and department reporting at close of the JK Distributors simulation.

To be effective we have found that the following conditions yield the best results:

• Train groups of between 12 and 35 trainees and have between 40 to 60 instructional hours available in 4 hour sessions to devote to running the JK Distributors simulation.
• Work with trainees that have basic knowledge of navigating the web, Microsoft Word and Excel, sending and receiving emails, and who can read materials written at approximately the 5th grade reading level.
• Employ (or desire to employ) an instructional approach that is aligned with running a simulation in which teachers become facilitators of trainees' hands-on learning.

JK Distributors - Groups that have benefited from this type of training

• Unemployed
• Displaced workers
• WIA eligible
• Underemployed people with disabilities
• TANF recipients
• Formerly incarcerated people
• Older youth

JK Distributors has been effective in leading to jobs in administrative support functions, medical offices, certified nursing assistant, hospitality, financial services, insurance services, and logistics.