KINGSTON, Jamaica — Senator Ruel Reid, minister of Education, Youth and Information, is attending the first Caribbean Fair of Transport and Logistics (SCTL) being held in Martinique from May 11 to 13, 2016.

A news release from the ministry said he will speak on the topic, ‘Education and training for the new logistics economy: the Caribbean opportunity’.

The fair, being hosted by the Cluster GAT Caribes Logistique & Transports and the Association for French Logistics, is being held in order to meet the new logistics challenges facing the grand Caribbean, arising from the expansion of the Panama Canal, according to Sandra Casanova on behalf of the organisers.

Casanova said the three-day event has the potential of becoming the new exchange hub in the French Caribbean, not only for the major public and private players involved in the transport and logistics sector, but also those who supply and control transport flows, producers and distributors, information technology agencies and customs officials.

It will also be a meeting place for all those involved in education and training who wish to attract our youth to the careers of tomorrow, Casanova said.

About 40 exhibitors are expected to participate in the fair that will feature presentations from high-level experts from the greater Caribbean, Africa and Europe.

Dr Fritz Pinnock, executive director of the Jamaica-based Caribbean Maritime Institute, will speak on the topic, ‘Trends in Global Logistics Sector: Opportunities for an Integrated Caribbean’.

This fair is supported by several organisations. These include CONTACT ENTREPRISES, France Clusters, Caribbean Maritime Institute, Lok Jack Business School (in Trinidad & Tobago), Manufacturers Organization of Dominica, Caribbean Shipping Association (in Barbados), and the Port Management Association of the Caribbean (in St Vincent).