Strategic Collaborative Approach: A Case Study on Training New Housing Entrepreneurs in Malaysia

Abstract

A comprehensive entrepreneurial training program can help attract new players to the housing
industry, thus contributing to solving unemployment problems and issues on increasing housing
supply to satisfy the requirements of the growing population. This study explores the strategic
collaboration between Universiti Sains Malaysia, developers, and other industry stakeholders to
offer a training module to prospective developers. The introductory course is designed to
introduce the property and housing industry to participants and to guide them, step-by-step, on
starting a business in the housing industry. A more advanced course is offered to participants
who are already in the industry but who still want to gain additional knowledge in managing their
business. Since June 2009, six introductory courses and three advanced courses have been
developed with approximately 100 participants for each course. The number of participants is
limited to 100 to ensure the effectiveness of the courses. All courses were offered in Kuala
Lumpur. Positive feedback from the participants indicates successful implementation of the
entrepreneurship training programs. The courses also help ensure competitive positioning of
new and existing small and medium players in the housing industry