The setting up of a franchise academy in Kuala Lumpur by franchise consultancy Ansa-House Sdn Bhd is expected to further stimulate growth of the franchise industry in the country.

Said to be the first of its kind in Malaysia and South-east Asia, the academy offers course modules based on Ansa-House's franchise philosophy, called "Second Generation of Franchising".

The senior executive director and partner of Ansa-House, Lene Rudbaek, said the academy offers the most current franchise knowledge on legal, finance, operations and human resource matters, among others.

"Our courses are different from others as students have to apply the second-generation tools in the real setting.

"We work together with the students before, during and after the class," Rudbaek said in an interview with Business Times in Kuala Lumpur.

The Ansa-House programme consists of practical franchise and chain operation tools, plans, working methods, procedures and programmes based on the latest industry best practices.

Rudbaek said the programme addresses all aspects of managing and operating franchise and company-owned chain organisations locally, nationally and internationally.

She said that entrepreneurs, business owners and individuals can apply to take the courses at the academy, which will start early next month.

"It is an open academy, with 18 different modules, where students can choose any modules."

According to Rudbaek, the modules can be taken as stand-alone courses or as a series of courses forming a complete training programme fitted to the needs of each individual.

Ansa-House senior executive director and partner, Bill Robertson, describes the academy as "the school of hard work".

"We expect our students to stay long hours and to be active participants in group sessions, general discussions, smaller workshop activities and role plays during the course in order to practise their newly-acquired skills," he said.

Rudbaek added that the franchise courses offered by the academy were conducted in Europe for 12 years when she previously operated Ansa-House from Europe.

"In Europe, several hundred companies and thousands of individuals from mid- to high-level management have undergone the courses.

"Some companies that I have helped coach in Europe are operating all over the world," she said.

Rudbaek relocated Ansa-House to Kuala Lumpur because many of her international clients are considering expanding to Asia.

"Being here, we can help them a lot. We also have collaboration partners, like lawyers, all over Asia," she said.

Robertson pointed out that Malaysia has an edge in terms of its infrastructure, geographical location, stable government, robust companies, good transport facilities and the presence of many international companies which have established headquarters here.

Today, Robertson and Rudbaek run all their global business activities out of Ansa-House in Kuala Lumpur.

Rudbaek said Ansa-House is in the midst of registering about 130 people for the franchise academy.

"We have signed up participants from Singapore, India, Indonesia and Thailand. So, it could be an Asian Franchise Academy," she said, adding that Ansa-House also gets requests from the Middle East.

Robertson said Ansa-House course instructors are also the company's senior consultants.

"It is a way of guaranteeing that our students receive the latest industry best practices," he said.
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