The Printing Industries Association of Australia (PIAA) said negotiations over the acquisition had started following RMIT’s decision to withdraw from apprentice training in Victoria.

The association was angered when RMIT agreed to sell its apprenticeship training assets to private operator CLB Training & Development, which has just started teaching printing and finishing in Victoria.

CLB said it expects to launch courses early next year. “We have recruited an outstanding team of 10 printing trainers and we look forward to providing training of the highest quality to our clients,” said CLB chief executive Gary Cobbledick.

The PIAA warned printers on 23 November not to transfer their apprentices to CLB.

[Related: Star junior printers discuss industry’s future]

Intech, a registered training organisation, will be managed by Joan Grace, who was recruited in September by the PIAA. Grace is a former chief executive of PrintNZ and the Communications and Media Industry Training Organisation.

She said negotiations were well advanced for Intech to receive access to highly qualified trainers across Australia, including Victoria.

PIAA chief executive Bill Healey said the Intech acquisition formed a key part of the association’s workforce development strategy.

“Intech will become a strategic asset for the industry with the scope of the programs it offers evolving over time to reflect the changing needs of printing businesses,” he said.

“This will allow us to provide accredited training around the country.”

The PIAA has just created a job service to match apprentices with employers.

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