New “Branch Simulation Lab” opened this morning at University of Nebraska at Kearney's College of Business and Technology

Over 100 Industrial Distribution Program Partners, students, professors and other members of the UNK community were on hand early this morning for the ribbon cutting of the latest jewel in the crown of this national award winning program of the College of Business and Technology at UNK. The new lab provides a cutting edge educational environment for Industrial Distribution students, those 214 students studying for a career in technical sales.

The new lab includes a showroom, an inside/outside sales office, racking area for products, conveyer tracks, a fork lift, and many other components that provide a realistic environment for students and instructors to simulate an actual branch sales distribution center.

Last Spring, the UNK Industrial Distribution program was named one of the top in the nation by the University Sales Education Foundation. The UNK program was also listed recently in a national trade journal as a top program of its kind both nationally and internationally, the only program from Nebraska to make the list. The UNK Industrial Distribution program is accredited by the National Association of Industrial Technology (NAIT) and is one of only 55 accredited baccalaureate level programs in the nation and the only one in Nebraska.

Besides being a top-notch sales training program, the UNK Industrial Distribution Bachelor of Science degree is a very serious academic venture, requiring 73 semester hours to complete. Included in the requirements are an internship, three sales oriented technical courses and two professional selling/negotiation courses. Multiple career events, attracting employers from across the nation, are held each year at UNK exclusively for ID majors, and a corporate ID “partners” program allows firms to develop personal relationships with students prior to considering them for hire. Hiring rate of successful graduates each year is near 100 percent.

The UNK College of Business and Technology is leading the way in Nebraska to prepare students for excellent careers in many fields of business and technology-related fields. Industrial Distribution’s new Branch Simulation Lab the latest example of UNK’s commitment to provide the best education possible for its students.