A national franchise chain has unveiled a world-class training program tailored specifically to franchisees.

The brand new Quest Academy is designed to deliver targeted and interactive training for franchisees within the Quest Apartment Hotels group.

CEO Zed Sanjana told FranchiseBusiness, “Franchisees are the heart and soul of Quest and the drivers of our continued success. We’re investing in longevity and continuous education.”

While getting the building blocks right is crucial to the franchise network, Sanjana said “It’s building not just a base but continual education for franchisees so we are able to hold people for a long time.”

There will be a complete training course and individual workshops available for new and existing franchisees who can attend the learning sessions free of charge.

The program’s first intake will begin in September 2016.

The academy will include elements that franchisees themselves have asked for, including more training on business skills, increased practical training, varied styles of training delivery, and human resources training.

Franchisees can learn in classrooms, through e-learning, or in practical workplace environments.

To bring this to fruition, Quest has invested $7m and doubled the size of its learning and development team which is led by a former award-winning franchisee, national learning and development manager Fiona Drinkwater.

Three facilities will host the learning program – Quest Abbostford, North Ryde and Woolloongabba.

“I want franchisees to embrace and support this,” Sanjana said. “It’s about creating a culture where people are open to be educated and to grow.

“A thorough, intuitive and holistic learning and development framework with a strong practical element is critical to driving network engagement and network performance.

“Quest Academy will ensure the quality of our guest experience,” he added.