Logistics Hub Training for Staff of Vere Technical

More than 100 academic and administrative staff members of Vere Technical High School in Hayes, Clarendon, have been certified, after taking part in a training course on the Logistics Hub Initiative.

The interactive training course was delivered by Executive Director of the Caribbean Maritime Institute and Head of the Logistics Task Force Education and Training Division, Dr. Fritz Pinnock, at the school on January 3.

Offered free of cost, through a partnership between the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce and the Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI), and endorsed by the Ministry of Education, HEART Trust/NTA and the Port Authority of Jamaica, the   course was developed by the CMI.

It covers areas such as the nature of logistics, the features of a hub, jobs available through the logistics hub initiative, Jamaica’s geographic strengths and cultural relevance and the role and function of the global shipping gateways, including the Straits of Malacca, the Suez Canal and the Panama Canal.

The Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, in a bid to prepare Jamaicans for the Logistics Hub Initiative, has been training groups across the island, including staff of the Bank of Nova Scotia, Jamaica National Building Society and the Old Harbour Bay Fishermen’s Co-operative.

The initiative aims to provide value added services to assist and enhance global trade, and establish Jamaica as a major player in the worldwide network of trade and commerce.

In an interview with JIS News, Dr. Pinnock said that people need to understand what the initiative is about, how it will benefit them and what they need to do to equip themselves for the future.

“Scale and technology are the two major forces driving the container shipping industry and US$5.6 billion is being expended to expand the Panama Canal to double its capacity and allow for the transit of larger vessels,” he said, adding that this will change world trade patterns and open the waterway to new markets.

“Jamaica’s rich maritime history is outlined in the course and it is the view of the CMI that an understanding of this heritage will enable citizens to see their role in the hub. Training to satisfy the human capital inventory, as required for national development plans and global demand, is critical to the success of this initiative. The container concept has changed the configuration of ports. The world is moving away from transshipment and towards value added logistics hubs,” Dr. Pinnock explained.

The Executive Director pointed out that it is within this context that the Ministry has partnered with the CMI to deliver the course to educate Jamaicans, in preparation for the tremendous economic opportunities that will be available under the initiative.