March 2023

Laksamana College of Business (LCB) and the University of Essex are launching the first franchise agreement with a UK university to deliver undergraduate-level law courses in Brunei.

The partnership has been approved by the Ministry of Education in Brunei and will offer students a new pathway to study law from 2023.

Vice-Chancellor at the University of Essex Professor Anthony Forster and LCB Chief Operating Officer Sivarajah Subramaniam officially signed the agreement at an official ceremony on Thursday.

The signing ceremony was attended by Deputy British High Commissioner to Brunei, Ms Catherine Pochkhanavala-Cleeve, alongside a representative from Brunei’s Ministry of Education, Deputy Permanent Secretary for Higher Education, Yang Mulia Dr Chin Wei Keh and Director of Laksamana College of Business and Abdul Razak Holdings, Awang Hj Suhaimei bin Hj Awang Besar. Delegates from the University of Essex accompanied with the Vice Chancellor included the Dean of Partnerships, Dr Annecy Lax, Global Vice President and Director of Communications, Ms Vanessa Porter and Regional Director for SEA, Ms Samantha Cook. All Head of Departments at Laksamana College were also in attendance. 

Professor Forster said: “We’re celebrating a new phase for our relationship with LCB with the launch of this new franchise agreement.

“This is a landmark moment as this is the first franchise agreement between a UK university and a Brunei-based institution to deliver law courses to create a new pathway through to undergraduate level study.

“We are very proud to have worked with LCB to establish this ground-breaking partnership.

“This agreement will offer students in Brunei exciting new ways to study law and pursue their career aspirations. 

“We hope this will provide momentum for further partnerships with Laksamana College and a model for future collaborations.”

Mr Sivarajah Subramaniam also expressed, “I would like to thank University of Essex for past cooperation as we have been Essex University’s global partner for the more than a decade through James Hon Marketing Management.”

“These historic links form a solid basis for the partnership between our two entities. We are confident that this international partnership will drive a new wave of future collaborations in other areas such as Business, Hospitality and Essex – LCB Global Investment Challenge 2023.”

The University of Essex and LCB have longstanding links thanks to existing progression agreements with the School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, Essex Business School, the Edge Hotel School and the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Essex.

Through the new franchise, students studying in Brunei will be able to complete Level 4 and Level 5 of the Essex Law School LLB Law at LCB. Students who successfully complete Level 4 and 5 will be able to progress to Essex Law School to complete Level 6 and achieve a degree with honours. There will also be an option to progress to Essex Law School for Level 5 and 6 study following successful completion of the Level 4 course at LCB.

An articulation arrangement has also been agreed to allow students successfully completing the Kensington College of Business University Foundation Course in Law programme at Laksamana to progress to either Level 4 of the franchised LLB Law course at LCB or Level 4 of the LLB Law course at Essex.