Wellness of the petrochemical industry concerns national security and is regarded as the mother of all industries, because petrochemical products are needed in virtually every production activity from semiconductors, energy-efficient vehicles to solar panels. Considering that net zero emission has emerged as a critical issue and how the need for transformation is imminent, the petrochemical industry is in desperate need for the right talents.
CPC has long been working with schools for the introduction of industry-academia collaboration programs in an attempt to train talents for the petrochemical and energy industry. These programs combine expertise of the business world and the academia to deliver the right balance between knowledge and practical skills, and have proven to be effective at helping trainees develop petrochemical theories, basic energy knowledge, and workplace skills. By admitting top students into the program and setting good track record on "local talent retention," "career education," and "creation of local employment opportunities," CPC has motivated other state-owned enterprises to imitate and introduce their own industry-collaboration programs. CPC also engages schools in various forms of cooperation to encourage students toward applying theory in practice. By combining University Social Responsibility (USR) with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), CPC introduces the concept of University Corporate Social Responsibility (UCSR) to help students develop workplace skills and make better career choices in the future. Furthermore, CPC has set up a thesis scholarship with Chinese Petroleum Institute and Chinese Association for Energy Economics, and organizes "Green lifestyle design and creativity competition" in joint effort with Panasonic Taiwan to provide the encouragements needed to put knowledge into practice, and address the industry's talent shortage.
CPC is persistent when it comes to energy education, which is why the organization takes the initiative to engage local residents and the community in various activities that promote public interest, from talent training, revitalization of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, restoration of historical buildings to the preservation of Chuhuangkeng site, and in doing so creates an environmental education park that has positive influence on the society. Taiwan Oil Field Exhibition Hall and CPC Kaohsiung Refinery Environmental Education Park offer environmental education courses and exhibitions that are suitable for people of different age groups. Taiwan Oil Field Exhibition Hall, in particular, takes visitors on a tour through the history of Chuhuangkeng during the oil mining era, and at the same time conveys values of sustainability and environmental protection while raising the public's image toward the CPC brand.
Taiwan Oil Field Exhibition Hall : Converting Taiwan's earliest oil field into environmental education ground
Taiwan Oil Field Exhibition Hall, located at the bank of Houlong River, Miaoli County, was formerly known as Chuhuangkeng Mine, where oil was first discovered in Taiwan. During the prime age of oil mining, the mine even earned its name as "little Hong Kong" and supported the livelihood of a prosperous village. In addition to being an EPA-certified environmental education facility, Taiwan Oil Field Exhibition Hall later obtained "extended certification" for environmental education facility in 2022, making it a cultural heritage as well as a multi-aspect teaching site for geology and professional skills.
Taiwan Oil Field Exhibition Hall is dedicated to preserving local cultures, history, and carrying out environment-related education, and it does so by creating an elder-friendly community, providing learning resources, and supporting local businesses. By presenting itself as an ideal place for learning and leisure, Taiwan Oil Field Exhibition Hall helps bring environmental education into schools in remote locations and spreads knowledge where conventional channels can not reach. Meanwhile, CPC is working with the ticketing agent for Taiwan Hakka Museum, Taiwan Hakka Culture Development Center, Hakka Affairs Council, to introduce special tickets that allow visitors of Hakka Theatre at Taiwan Hakka Museum to redeem complimentary ice block at Taiwan Oil Field Exhibition Hall, limited to 50 per month. There will be an ongoing collaboration with ticketing agency to attract a greater number of tourists to the Taiwan Oil Mine Exhibition Hall in the future. This series of activities not only raised peoples' understanding about the local culture and history, but also strengthened the public's connection with the CPC brand.
Taiwan Oil Field Exhibition Hall has a complete program for training voluntary environmental educators. The program includes basic environmental training, a tour through the education environment, and a teaching workshop; and the courses cover a broad diversity of topics including an overview of environmental education, basics of The Environmental Education Act, environmental ethics, implications of The Environmental Education Act, and course design. Overall, the program is intended to help volunteers develop the basic concept and mission toward environmental education. In 2022, Taiwan Oil Field Exhibition Hall received a total of 92 enrollments across various activities, delivered 100 hours of training for environmental educators (specializing in school, social, and environmental aspects), and obtained certification for its environmental training facilities and educators, indicating improved professional capacity across voluntary environmental educators.
CPC Petroleum Discovery Museum : Exploring biodiversity through drawing
CPC views the Petroleum Discovery Museum as a bridge that connects the business to the general public, and chose to set it up in the heart of Taipei City, making it easy for citizens, students, and international visitors to visit and learn more about the petrochemical industry. Through the use of entertainment, the museum delivers energy education in a manner that is easily appreciated by the public and complements CPC's sustainability efforts. By incorporating interactive multimedia, the museum presents complicated information about oil in a manner that is easy to understand, and uses fun, interactive guiding interface to create an environment where visitors can learn, experience, and explore knowledge about oil and green energy with joy. CPC Petroleum Discovery Museum gives the public a chance to learn the many uses of oil, how new energy sources are being development, as well as CPC's history and social responsibilities. Throughout the museum tour, visitors are directed to rethink the connection between oil and sustainability, and encouraged to learn through discussions and exchange of knowledge.
In 2022, the museum organized a series of "little tern protection" and "little tern coloring" activities as part of CPC's promises to the environmental assessment of the 3rd natural gas receiving station. CPC's persistence in restoring habitat for little terns has successfully attracted little terns to nest and breed, and made Zhuwei Fishing Harbor the second home for this threatened species. Using various forms of fun, family-friendly activities, the museum promoted the public's awareness on ecological preservation and attracted nearly 400 participants in total.
CPC Kaohsiung Refinery Environmental Education Park : Sustainability in Japanese style
CPC Kaohsiung Refinery was decommissioned in 2015, and after 2 years of preparation, an "Environmental Education Park" was built at the same location on January 22, 2018, making it the first certified environmental education facility to be operated by the oil refinery/petrochemical industry. The park preserves historical buildings, remnants, factories, and environmental protection facilities from the Japanese colonial era, and is intended to be place of historical, cultural, and educational significance. The park offers many educational courses that are designed for different age groups; they cover a broad diversity of topics from oil refining, history, human culture, circular economy, petrochemical to the ecosystem of Mount Banping, and incorporates various forms of activity such as factory tour, outdoor game, handicraft etc. to teach participants the meaning of sustainability. The park also advocates energy conservation through action, and preserving the environment for future generations. In 2022, the park delivered a total of 7 courses for 207 adults, 2 courses for 52 elementary school students, and 2 customized courses for 100 individuals.
Education programs of CPC Kaohsiung Refinery Environmental Education Park
1. For Senior (vocational) high school：
The Linyuan District of Kaohsiung City had benefited from the government's
Ten Infrastructure Projects and became a major petrochemical site. In
2014, CPC made an attempt that was unprecedented among state-owned
enterprises and signed an industry-academia collaboration agreement
with Linyuan Senior High School in Kaohsiung City for the introduction of
"chemical engineering science course," which is intended to train entry-level
operators for the petrochemical industry. The course had progressed into its
4th term in 2022, and it helped increase admission rate of Linyuan Senior
High School by 6.7 times. CPC provides living subsidies to top-performing
students from low-income households every school term, and offers them
flexible options to seek employment and higher education by guaranteeing
employment in the future. With the right incentives, CPC hopes to inspire students' thirst for knowledge, cater for their career paths, and
keep top-performing students locally at Linyuan Senior High School. Unlike ordinary internship programs, CPC's industry-academia collaboration program only requires students to undergo 6 weeks of internship during winter and summer vacations, and the courses cover not only general petrochemical knowledge, but also special topics pertaining to different factories that are hosted by managerial staff currently in service. Students are issued a certificate upon completion of internship, and only then can they make use of the recruitment channel offered specifically for the program. A total of 68 graduates were recruited into CPC through open recruitment, making the program the most successful industry-academia collaboration in the local vicinity, for which Kaohsiung City Education Bureau had even named CPC as the Role Model in Education.
Due to the government's recent support for local senior high (vocational) school admission, it is essential for schools to develop distinctive features that attract students amidst the declining birth rate. Following the success of chemical engineering science course at Linyuan Senior High School, CPC signed another "CPC Science Course Collaboration Program" with Kaohsiung Municipal Siaogang Senior High School to further enforce its action to support localized development of chemical engineering and scientific talents. The program began in academic year 2021 and takes in one class of 35 students each year. CPC provides 10 program participants with scholarship of NT$6,000 each per term, and has contributed a total of NT$360,000 over three years. Program participants are entitled to take part in CPC's open recruitment after graduation, for which CPC will accept at least 10 candidates as a general rule, or refer candidates to CPC's vendors. By giving the school something distinctive to offer, CPC not only helps the local community retain and develop talents but also opens up career paths for students from financially challenged households to the benefit of the school, students, local residents, and CPC.
To facilitate stronger collaboration between the industry,
government, and the academia and better support for
social responsibilities, CPC signed "industry-academia
collaboration MOUs" with National Chiayi University,
National Dong Hwa University, National University of
Kaohsiung, National Chung Cheng University, National
University of Tainan, National Taiwan University, National
Taipei University of Technology, Feng Chia University,
Cheng Shiu University, and Kun Shan University in which
it offered to organize classroom courses and tours to
CPC's Petrochemical Business Division, thereby helping
students apply theory in practice. CPC also supports
the government's new southbound expansion policy by
offering admission slots or organizing training courses for
international students from Southeast Asia. 39 classes were organized between 2017 and 2022, which trained a total of 1,648 students
from Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Mongolia, and 2nd-generation immigrants. Furthermore, to convey the organization's vision for diverse clean energy sources and green lifestyle, CPC continues to organize tours to its "Tainan Qianfeng Road Pilot Station," the first smart green energy fuel station featuring advanced power supply and energy storage systems. A total of 11 tours were organized in 2022 for 216 participants. The tour is also being offered to various industry-academia collaboration courses organized in conjunction with tertiary institutions as well as franchise station operators, so that the public may have a better understanding of current green energy technologies. Additionally, CPC will apply to have the pilot station certified for environmental education facility, and thereby contribute to environmental education.
Green lifestyle design and creativity competition: Sustainable lifestyle through action
CPC supports green energy transformation in line with the nation's energy policy, and with an extensive network of nearly 2,000 direct and franchise stations nationwide, CPC has begun introducing charging and battery swapping services for electric bikes, and aims to have 1,000 electric bike charging (battery swapping) stations established nationwide as part of its resolve to replace fossil fuel with green energy sources. Since 2018, CPC has been hosting "Green lifestyle design and creativity competition" in joint effort with Panasonic Taiwan. The competition is intended to inspire students' creativity with regards to "net zero emission and smart low-carbon lifestyle," and spark new creative styles and elements for energy-saving technologies in ways that can be realized and implemented. It is also CPC's intent to fulfill corporate social responsibilities through this competition by inspiring people's imagination for green lifestyle and bringing the public's attention to energy and carbon reduction. At CPC, we believe that visions for a better life begin from the campus and our city.
Sponsorship for master's degree/Ph.D thesis: Study and implementation of net zero emission
CPC has long been cooperating with Chinese Petroleum Institute and Chinese Association for Energy Economics on the establishment of thesis scholarship, and used it as an encouragement for students to apply theory in practical studies. The scholarship has rewarded a total of 205 papers since 1976. The research theme for 2022 was designated "Effect of Carbon Neutrality on the Oil and Gas Industries," in which students were encouraged to conduct theoretical, empirical, and application studies on petrochemical engineering, the natural gas policy, and renewable energy sources.
Development of licensed specialists : Training course for gas vapor recovery testing personnel
For the improvement of air quality in Taiwan, CPC signed an agreement with EPA's Environmental Protection Personnel Training Institute to cohost courses in accordance with EPA's "Gas Station Gasoline Vapor Recovery Facility Management Regulations" that aim to help employees and businesses familiarize with gas vapor recovery facilities and testing procedures. Course participants were also given the assistance needed to obtain certificates from the central authority or agents thereof. Driven by the mission to fulfill corporate social responsibilities and protect the environment, CPC became the first in the nation to offer training courses for "gas vapor recovery facility testing personnel," and in doing so contributes to air quality of the environment. Between 2013 and 2022, the courses had trained a total of 425 individuals. Currently, all refueling nozzles have been equipped with gas vapor recovery device, which contributes significantly to vapor recovery and improving air quality near petrol stations.