At TAQA, we understand that nurturing promising talent is the best investment for generating innovation within our industry. We have worked to build a culture that allows our team to thrive, personally develop, and build meaningful careers.
We strive to create attractive job opportunities to draw in high potential candidates through our clear employer brand and strong leadership. The considerable financial backing we implement to drive the career and personal development of our employees remains central to our strategy and functions as a pivotal driver of our growth.
Our Talent Management team continue to customize development initiatives based on organizational needs and employee performance with a key focus on tracking learning data thoroughly through our digital platforms. In 2021, we launched the TAQA Knowledge Exchange program, where internal SMEs deliver over nine sessions to more than 90 employees focusing on key topics. As part of the TAQA Commercial & Sales University offering, we deliver the foundational Core Commercial Acumen training to 29 employees across the TAQA group. In addition to this, we maintain our partnership with world-renowned institutes like Franklin Covey, Emeritus, and Change Actions to curate and offer leadership development programs for our existing and emerging leaders.
A method central to our success is the empowerment of our employees through intercompany moves, creating mobility that provides employees with beneficial exposure, opportunities for growth and stretched assignments. At TAQA, succession planning is a systematic process utilized to identify and prepare a pipeline of high-potential successors for chief and non-chief critical positions to ensure optimum business continuity. We actively engage with local communities, neighbouring industries, colleges, and universities across all the locations of our operating sites. In 2021, TAQA contributed considerably to the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals by supporting the graduation ceremony of the first female graduates. TAQA was also the Strategic Partner for the Khobar International Half Marathon event to promote health and wellness, celebrate personal achievements, and triumph over obstacles. This aligned seamlessly with our values and commitment to helping our community thrive, as well as enhancing awareness of our brand, its values and what we stand for. We will continue to endorse and invest in meaningful initiatives that embody our core values, in order to enhance our own community and those we operate within.