THE St Andrew Workforce College was yesterday launched by Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce Anthony Hylton and Minister of Education Ronald Thwaites.

The establishment of the college is the result of an “across-government initiative”, including the HEART Trust/NTA, the Caribbean Maritime Institute, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce.

The college will offer courses to fill the increased need for professionals in logistics-related industries, and courses offered will include mechanical maintenance, electrical installation, telecommunications, industrial security operations, warehousing and distribution, port operations, stevedoring, forklift operation and truck driving.

“The workforce college is geared towards building a competitive workforce, one that would be able to meet the demands for skilled labour by international companies within the industrial and maritime belt,” Hylton told the launch ceremony.

In clarifying the unique role of the workforce college against that of other institutions, Hylton said: “I have been at pains to ensure that the efforts to build a logistics-centred economy redounds to the benefit of each and every Jamaican. The St Andrew Workforce College is, therefore, geared at our young people who may not be able to attend traditional theory-based colleges, but who are ready to enter the labour pool.”

Key private sector interests, including Sutherland Global, Kingston Freeport Terminal Limited and Kingston Wharves, were represented at the event.