Talent Development

In the spirit of sustainable development, we value talent development and provide comprehensive training to foster professional competency at all stages.

Fostering Employee Career Planning

Talents are critical to the sustainability of a business operation amid turbulence and uncertainties. To align with global trends and deploy its workforce strategically, FENC designs employee training programs with its core values as the anchor to suit organizational development and departmental needs. With the E-training management system, the Company is building a self-learning culture through diversified learning channels and integrated digital learning. Additionally, to support the incubation and development of international talents at all Businesses, FENC continues to hone management and professional skills among employees, developing leadership teams and succession plans to ensure talent sustainability.

In the beginning of each year, discussions are held between employees and their supervisors to establish future training programs. By the middle of the year, employees undergo training, apply the knowledge they acquire and share it through the organizational knowledge sharing team so they can learn from each other. Each stage is calibrated to foster personalized and sophisticated training track. The corporate training system provides specialized training. Starting from day one, employees are assigned mentors to guide them through the available learning resources. Regular orientation camps and the mandatory general training help new recruits get acquainted with the corporate culture and develop their own network. Once they get situated at their posts, professional training begins with an emphasis on occupational safety and health as well as regulatory training on human rights. With time, as they develop the qualifications for the management positions, management training kicks in at various levels to further develop their abilities to embrace future challenges and organizational development.

To make learning part of life, FENC offers learning resources with accessibility, flexibility and diversity, which has become a core emphasis of its training programs in recent years. The programs are curated to combine specific themes with employee interests in quarterly packages that unfold through daily, weekly and quarterly learning pathways. The daily training takes diverse forms, including digital, in-class and live streaming courses. The weekly training is delivered through themed e-newsletters, and each quarter, forums and lectures are held to keep employees informed on industry and global trends. To help employees develop fragmented learning, the Company acquired a new E-Learning platform in 2023 with the official launch scheduled for early 2024. The application offers a new learning option with added flexibility, convenience and immediate access that free employees from the confines of space, time and mediums. The diverse models allow employees to balance work and learning, fortifying themselves with the critical knowledge to thrive in an ever-changing environment.

2023 Themed Quarterly Training

Management approaches are project-specific, and the results are evaluated based on the Kirkpatrick Model. Total training hours of all employees are 473,509 hours in 2023.

2023 Evaluation

Note: The retention rate and advancement rate for the FEIW Business English Course are calculated as the percentages of the numbers of participants who are still on the job and those who have been promoted as of the end of 2023.

2023 Training and Attendance

Note: The occupational safety and health training does not include the in-house training provided by individual FENC sites.

To respond to changes in the global landscape and align with corporate strategies, FENC has been focusing on digital, international and sustainability capabilities for its talent deployment in recent years. The Company constructed a comprehensive strategic training blueprint through diverse learning resources to help critical talents acquire versatile skills. By calibrating strategic adjustments with agility, the Company is able to respond to market changes and competition with speed.

2023 Strategic Talent Training Program

	Digital Talent Program	International Talent Program	Sustainable Talent Program
Eligibility	Supervisor’s recommendation Individual application	Supervisor’s recommendation All employees in Taiwan and overseas Employees in preparation for implementing internationalization projects	Supervisor’s recommendation Individual application Training Shift
Attendance	2,551	2,181	4,148
Platform	Yuan Ze University External lecturers	LinkedIn Learning External lecturers	External lecturers
Content	Lean Workflow Series: Microsoft 365, generative AI Industrial Engineering and Management: Ten modules Digital Transformation Elite Program: Six modules BTS Talk: Business applications for digital technologies AI Program: Smart manufacturing management Power BI Overseas Program: Power BI tools	LinkedIn Learning: 16,000 courses available Vietnam Program: Three modules General International Training: International competency and languages WeChat Account-English Conversation Series: English and cross-cultural communication techniques	Knowledge Extraction and Visualization: Knowledge points deduction and video editing SBTi: Six modules General Environmental Sustainability Training: Carbon Management General Business Regulations: Corporate compliance, protection of workplace gender equality and intellectual property 14064 and 14001 GHG Inventory: ISO14064 and 14001 environmental management systems Higg FEM 4.0 Certification Program: Environmental management system GRS: Recycled materials and GRS certification
Budget (Unit: NT$)	3.35 million	5.97 million	870,000

Talent Training Program Result

Production Line Monitoring through Data Visualization Dashboards

Digital Talent Program

With the rise of generative AI, workflows that facilitate interactive response and flexible collaboration are emerging in today’s workplace, prompting the restructuring of work values among organizations and employees. To help promote digital transformation, the 2023 digital talent program zoomed in on the application of digital tools and the trends in dynamic content delivery technologies.

To hone digital tools, mindsets and capabilities, FENC prepared the Lean Workflow Series to help participants acquire practical experience in operating Microsoft 365 cloud collaboration and AI applications through hands-on approaches in a workshop format. During the 19 program sessions, a total of 1,088 participants accumulated 5,079 learning hours. OTIZ also planned a two-month AI program to help the plant march towards smart manufacturing through big data analysis as well as production modeling and forecasting. The program has cultivated 38 next-generation smart management talents.

Meanwhile, FENC is promoting the data visualization tool, Power BI, to facilitate multinational business operations across all units and manage upstream and downstream brand customers. Since 2021, all units have been producing operational dashboards and offering training programs overseas to help Taiwanese managers master Power BI. While continuing to fine-tune the training quality, FENC will also expand the training targets to include local managers. A total of 400 employees attended the overseas program in 2023, a tenfold increase compared to 2022. The training has enhanced digital capabilities across FENC’s overseas locations.

To deliver the latest technological trends to employees, Far Eastern Corporate University offers special programs for each Business to motivate digital learning, aspiring employees to grasp and apply modern technologies at work, generate values and maintain competitiveness. In March 2023, 34 trainees served as seed instructors for the Digital Transformation Elite Program to help production units promote digital transformation and maximize team strengths. The participants delivered an average final score of 95.3 with 95.2% in overall attendance rate. In July, FENC offered AI-related training on ChatGPT applications for procurement operations. The training imparted professional AI procurement knowledge, such as the core concepts in automatic data collection through AI, helping procurement staff improve the efficiency of routine operations. The training evaluation reached 4.8 on a scale of 5, and the course completion rate reached 100%.

To further strengthen the development and implementation of digital strategies and applications while establishing a comprehensive information security system at Far Eastern Group, the Information Technology Committee (IT Committee) holds the Business and Technological Sustainability Talk (BTS Talk) as a platform of exchange on trends. A total of 10 lectures were held in 2023, and senior executives from the Far Eastern Group and external experts shared business applications of digital technologies with staff to accelerate digital transformation and embrace smart office.

International Talent Program

International management talents are vital resources for corporations to complete global deployments and adapt to cross-cultural business environments in order to tread a path through the rapidly changing international landscape. FENC’s International Talent Program focuses on the cultivation of language and international management skills to create a cross-cultural learning environment that helps employees tackle challenges presented in a multicultural setting.

To serve international brands and enhance international communication, FENC targets language and communication training through the Corporate International General Program. Among the nine courses offered are Business English/Japanese/Spanish; International Etiquette; Business Writing and Communication in Foreign Languages. A total of 141 employees took advantage of the courses and accumulated 832 learning hours. Through a variety of formats, such as exams, workshops and seminars, participants are able to apply the training at work. FENC sites in mainland China utilize the push notifications of the WeChat accounts to help employees broaden international perspectives and elevate language skills.

To keep pace with its global talent deployment, FENC is collaborating with LinkedIn Learning for the third consecutive year in 2023 to strengthen employees’ professional English proficiency and international capabilities. The program aims to help employees develop the habit of self-learning through required courses on quarterly themes, personal electives, sharing sessions and study groups. Into the third year of the program, the focus shifted to FENC’s overseas production sites. The numbers of participants from regions such as mainland China, Vietnam, Japan and Malaysia rose with a 76% growth rate and a total of 331 participants. Among the LinkedIn Learning accounts for FENC employees, 95% are activated. The average monthly learning reached 4 hours, far exceeding the monthly average among LinkedIn users in the global manufacturing sector. This impressive record was recognized by LinkedIn, which honored FENC with the Outstanding Learning Culture award. In addition to the International Talent Pool, FENC also created a cross-regional collaborative learning system through this program, boosting the international competitiveness for members of the Far Eastern family across the globe.

The expansion and operation of FENC sites in Vietnam have been stabilizing in recent years, and thus the need for local training targeting international management capabilities is climbing. In 2023, FENC started the course series, International Talent Program-Vietnam, offering both virtual and physical courses to hone the international management capabilities among expatriate employees from Taiwan. Between the second and fourth quarters, FENC offered three courses on management and corporate culture with 315 employees in attendance. The courses foster the ability to identify critical talents, manage performance and develop an accountability mindset among Taiwanese managers. Management courses on related topics are also offered in 2024. Extracting from the abundant training experience from their peers in Taiwan, FENC sites in Vietnam are moving full steam with the training of local managers, helping them adapt to multicultural management and flourish as the pillars of corporate management.

Sustainability Talent Program

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations have been widely adopted in the corporate community in recent years to foster a sustainable, robust and resilient operation. For corporate talents, the knowledge in ESG is essential.

Environmental Aspect: Joining Global Actions on Low-Carbon Transition
FENC provides a series of courses on environmental sustainability to inspire employees to learn about and raise environmental awareness. The courses, which encompass a wide range of topics, are delivered through lectures, film and television works, gamified courses and workshops, and the attendance count reached 1,410 with 5,231 hours accumulated. It is the hope to inspire more future programs that foster skills and knowledge related to environmental sustainability among employees. In addition, as the world focuses intently on reaching net-zero emissions, FENC is offering a course series on the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). A total of 282 employees from FENC’s global locations took advantage of the training, accumulating 4,111 learning hours. The courses equipped the upstream and downstream supply chains with knowledge and skills related to the GHG inventory in order to lay out actionable carbon reduction pathways and fulfill science-based reduction targets. Additionally, FENC is also cultivating sustainability talents at its overseas locations, providing training that imparts knowledge on environmental management, such as ISO14064, ISO14001 and Higg FEM 4.0 and helping employees become Higg FEM verifiers.

Social Aspect: Building the Cornerstone of a Friendly Workplace
FENC’s ongoing training, Workplace Violence, focuses on promoting preventive measures among the first-line managers. The attendance count for this training reached 310, accumulating 930 training hours. In July 2023, the Legislative Yuan in Taiwan passed the amendments to the Gender Equality in Employment Act and Sexual Harassment Prevention Act after the third reading. To keep employees up-to-date and support governmental efforts to protect gender equality, FENC conducted the training, Corporate Managers’ Guide to Protecting Gender Equality, which highlighted the key aspects in the amendments. The training focuses on raising the awareness and promotion of gender equality among employees at the level of section chief and above in hope of building a diverse, equal and inclusive work environment. The course attendance reached 612, representing a 94% attendance rate with 1,224 of learning hours accumulated.

Governance Aspect: Ensuring Risk Management Awareness and the Legacy of Organizational Knowledge
“Sincerity, Diligence, Thrift, Prudence and Innovation” are FENC’s founding principles. These are also the guiding principles behind its risk control training and the design of the program, General Business Regulations. Among the courses offered, Ethical Corporate Management and Anti-Corruption helped employees comprehend the rationale behind Company policies and established risk awareness to ensure regulatory compliance, and the completion rate for this course reached 100%. Credit Risk Management and Trade Compliance, an online course produced in house in 2023, provides clarity when it comes to trade compliance among new business staff at its global locations, giving them essential risk management skills to ensure compliance with the Code of Ethics and guidelines established by FENC. The attendance count reached 72 with an average test score of 90. To ensure that FENC fulfills its corporate obligation of managing confidential information, the Company conducted the training on Taiwan Intellectual Property Management Standards (TIPS) at eight units in 2023 to implement systematic management of intellectual property rights. The Company also evaluated and ensured learning efficiency by incorporating training assessments.

To address talent gaps and improve the consistency in the training quality of the apprenticeship system, FENC launched the Knowledge Extraction and Visualization Program in 2018 as efforts to pass down the organizational knowledge. The program was initiated in Taiwan with pilot courses and gradually implemented at FENC sites overseas. It encourages employees to extract key operational skills and transform them into audio visual materials as standard training materials. To address the need for job skill development and succession planning, FEPV finished digitizing 130 organizational knowledge courses in 2023, leveraging the superiority of the digital format over hard copies. The courses include new recruit training, occupational safety and health and skill-specific training. The digital learning platform will be completed in 2024. FENC produced a total of 230 online courses on organizational knowledge across its global sites in 2023, and additional courses are in the pipeline for the coming years.

Training Framework

2022~2023 Training Categories and Attendance

		New Recruit Training		Specialized Training		Management Training		Occupational Safety and Health Training
		Sessions	Attendance count	Sessions	Attendance count	Sessions	Attendance count	Sessions	Attendance count
Taiwan	2022	91	749	3,009	20,439	403	1,592	792	18,745
Taiwan	2023	85	463	3,066	22,129	395	2,446	959	18,576
Mainland China	2022	347	1,102	2,430	16,014	61	1,480	134	4,674
Mainland China	2023	354	1,415	2,663	18,326	41	604	161	5,711
Vietnam	2022	2,219	54,140	1,552	20,203	80	830	497	17,354
Vietnam	2023	1,817	13,400	1,058	24,821	68	1,105	912	45,622
Japan	2022	35	38	682	685	0	0	12	1,370
Japan	2023	15	72	670	670	0	0	12	264
U.S.	2022	18	35	271	702	53	106	134	1,370
U.S.	2023	5	5	483	1,420	55	110	203	1,967
Total	2022	2,710	56,064	7,944	58,043	597	4,008	1,569	43,513
Total	2023	2,276	15,355	7,940	67,366	559	4,265	2,247	72,140

		Anti-corruption Training		Human Rights Training		Total
		Sessions	Attendance count	Sessions	Attendance count	Sessions	Attendance count
Taiwan	2022	106	6,133	19	4,411	4,420	52,069
Taiwan	2023	70	4,924	87	5,517	4,662	54,055
Mainland China	2022	177	5,490	176	5,412	3,325	34,172
Mainland China	2023	156	5,121	155	5,104	3,530	36,281
Vietnam	2022	213	13,555	237	13,502	4,798	119,584
Vietnam	2023	240	9,692	218	9,760	4,313	104,400
Japan	2022	1	71	1	171	731	2,335
Japan	2023	1	264	1	270	699	1,540
U.S.	2022	1	77	1	175	478	2,465
U.S.	2023	1	74	1	176	748	3,752
Total	2022	498	25,326	434	23,671	13,752	210,625
Total	2023	468	20,075	462	20,827	13,592	200,028

Note: Modifications were made to the internal training categories in 2022.

Average Number of Training Hoursof Regions

Unit: hour/person

	2020	2021	2022	2023
Taiwan	26.82	29.50	25.40	29.65
Mainland China	30.70	22.23	19.24	20.37
Vietnam	16.29	14.48	29.22	25.31
Japan	14.44	14.70	24.30	23.74
U.S.	43.51	52.17	52.52	70.22
Total	21.80	19.95	26.61	25.46

Note: The average training hours at FENC sites in the U.S. increased significantly in 2023. To improve work efficiency and quality while complying with the increasingly stringent occupational safety requirements, occupation-specific and occupational safety training has been reinforced for all employees, showing growth in training hours by 39.4% and 24.8% compared to 2022, respectively.

Average Number of Training Days of Regions

Unit: day/person

	2020	2021	2022	2023
Taiwan	3.35	3.69	3.30	3.71
Mainland China	3.84	2.78	2.41	2.54
Vietnam	2.04	1.81	3.65	3.16
Japan	1.81	1.84	3.03	2.96
U.S.	5.44	6.52	6.57	8.78
Total	2.73	2.49	3.33	3.18

Average Number of Training Hours of Ranking and Gender

Unit: hour/person

		2020	2021	2022	2023
Section Chief and above	Male	36.86	28.03	32.13	36.13
	Female	28.74	20.32	25.38	29.73
	Subtotal	34.54	25.87	30.08	34.17
Office Clerk	Male	23.76	26.81	33.21	47.39
	Female	15.06	14.87	21.79	28.02
	Subtotal	20.41	22.34	28.77	39.83
Factory Workers	Male	23.53	21.47	26.27	21.35
	Female	19.83	15.54	24.30	12.13
	Subtotal	21.33	17.67	25.05	15.69
Total Employees	Male	24.84	24.67	29.72	34.14
	Female	18.62	15.59	23.77	17.16
	Subtotal	21.80	19.95	26.61	25.46

Average Number of Training Days of Ranking and Gender

Unit: day/person

		2020	2021	2022	2023
Section Chief and above	Male	4.61	3.50	4.02	4.52
	Female	3.59	2.54	3.17	3.72
	Subtotal	4.32	3.23	3.76	4.27
Office Clerk	Male	2.97	3.35	4.15	5.92
	Female	1.88	1.86	2.72	3.50
	Subtotal	2.55	2.79	3.60	4.98
Factory Workers	Male	2.94	2.68	3.28	2.67
	Female	2.48	1.94	3.04	1.52
	Subtotal	2.67	2.21	3.13	1.96
Total Employees	Male	3.11	3.08	3.72	4.27
	Female	2.33	1.95	2.97	2.15
	Subtotal	2.73	2.49	3.33	3.18

Global Human Capital Development

Average Hours Spent on Training and Development Per Employee

Unit: hour/person

Category	Item	2020	2021	2022	2023
Total Employees		25.45	19.68	26.74	25.59
By Nationality	Taiwan	24.83	27.31	24.50	27.53
	Mainland China	29.58	20.07	18.32	19.84
	Vietnam	22.04	14.27	29.83	25.65
	Japan	14.14	14.24	27.15	22.71
	U.S.	42.98	51.03	52.52	70.22
	The Philippines	39.95	39.95	39.95	39.95
By Type	Management	-	-	0.66	0.94
By Type	On the Job Training	-	-	24.47	22.98

Note: Modifications were made to the internal training categories in 2022.

Average Costs Spent on Training and Development Per Employee

Unit: thousand dollars (TWD)

Category	Item	2020	2021	2022	2023
Total Employees		2.17	1.95	1.31	1.62
By Nationality	Taiwan	7.32	6.26	4.18	5.35
	Mainland China	0.43	1.20	0.59	0.34
	Vietnam	0.34	0.18	0.08	0.11
	Japan	7.06	5.59	5.19	4.22
	U.S.	1.16	1.07	1.12	1.38
	The Philippines	5.55	5.59	5.88	6.15
By Type	Management	-	-	0.49	0.79
By Type	On the Job Training	-	-	0.82	0.83