Black (pictured) recently took a superannuation option in the belief a new contract would be offered by RMIT, but his association with the school ended suddenly when another contract was not offered.

The events surrounding Black’s imminent departure will be thrashed out in a summit later this week between RMIT’s pro-vice chancellor, Printing Industries, and several key vendors whose equipment provided vital resources for print trainees.

Over the past year alone, Black has overseen kit donations from Océ, Fuji Xerox, HP, and Canon.

Senior Victorian executives from major suppliers, including Heidelberg’s Alastair Hadley and Fuji Xerox’s Brett Maishman, told ProPrint they were extremely disappointed that Black and RMIT are severing ties.

Under Black’s stewardship, the ICGT – which had its origins in the Melbourne College of Printing and Graphic Arts and was later amalgamated into RMIT – has developed into Australia’s foremost training and education institution for graphic arts students and apprentices.

He has also been a pivotal figure in broadening the ICGT’s focus into private-sector and offshore training projects.

Black has almost 40 years’ experience in the printing and education sectors in Australia. Appointed to the director’s position in 2006 after acting in the role since 2004, he had responsibility for the overall operations of the ICGT within the School of Design (TAFE).

He recalled that “amongst my most pleasant duties has been my role in chairing the annual industry training awards and in judging various national and regional print awards”.

Black said he is “particularly proud of the Victorian Government’s acknowledgment of the ICGT as a Specialist Centre, and of ongoing national recognition of the ICGT as a Centre of Excellence for printing and graphic technology training, in Australia and the South East Asia region”.

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