A CAREERS fair was held at St Helens College as part of an effort to build the borough's reputation as a hub of the logistics industry.

Companies including Wincanton, Matalan, Jungheinrich, Abbey Logistics, Suttons and others were in attendance at the Water Street campus to speak to youngsters about opportunities available.

The college has launched a £3million specialist Logistics Academy in a collaborative bid with Knowsley Community College.

Bosses have outlined the project's aim of delivering education and training opportunities for pathways into employment to support expected growth in the logistics sector.

Logistics, along with transport, warehousing and driving covers hundreds of career options with almost every organisation requiring some form of expertise from managing a supply chain to transporting goods or passengers to worldwide destinations.

Careers advisors and mentors were at the college to offer information about qualifications in the sector including representatives from the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS).

Students of the college's 14-16 Academy, business students and others from different colleges attended the fair to hear about opportunities from part-time roles to long-term careers.

Ahead of the event, Jette Burford, principal of St Helens College said: “The logistics sector is currently suffering a skills shortage in order to meet the demands generated by the expansion of the Liverpool City Region Superport.

"The new Northern Logistics Academy will prepare a generation of local residents to be well-equipped to grasp the many career opportunities becoming available in logistics.

“There are huge misconceptions that jobs in logistics are just about driving but this really isn’t true."

Tony Magee, design manager at Jungeinrich, said: "Today has gone well and it is good to see the enthusiasm around the industry."