ESG capability is the knowledge and skills needed to understand environmental, social and governance requirements, collect data, prepare reports and integrate ESG into business decisions. Experience at many Vietnamese businesses shows that the bottleneck in the green transition is usually not the budget, but a lack of people who can deliver.
Key takeaways
- ESG requires capabilities across many roles: leadership, the ESG lead and data owners in each department.
- Effective training is tied to the company's real data and processes, not just theory.
- Measure training effectiveness by data quality and project progress, not just learning hours.
Who needs training?
| Role | Capabilities required |
|---|---|
| Board of Directors, Executive Board | ESG risks and opportunities, oversight responsibilities, reading reports |
| ESG/Sustainability lead | GRI and ISSB standards, greenhouse gas inventories, double materiality, project management |
| Data owners (production, HR, purchasing, finance) | Metric definitions, collecting and storing evidence |
| Sales, customer relations | Answering customers' ESG questions, avoiding greenwashing claims |
A capability-building pathway
- General awareness for all managers: what ESG is and why it matters to the business.
- Role-specific deep dives: reporting, greenhouse gas inventories, supply chain due diligence.
- Learning through real projects: preparing the first ESG report, a base-year inventory.
- Competency certification for dedicated leads to standardise quality.
The best ESG reports are not written by consultants, but produced by teams who understand their own data.
Measuring training effectiveness
- The share of metrics with complete data and evidence after training.
- Time taken to complete the reporting cycle.
- The number of customer ESG questionnaires answered on time.
- Average training hours (GRI 404-1) — an input metric, not an outcome.
See also: ESG in HR management and ESG for small and medium-sized enterprises.
Frequently asked questions
Does a business need to hire a dedicated ESG specialist?
Large companies should have a dedicated lead; smaller businesses can assign an existing staff member who has been properly trained and works with external experts.
How long does ESG training take?
An awareness course can take a single day; the capability to deliver a report or inventory requires an in-depth programme combined with practice on real data.
Does VietESG offer training programmes?
Yes. VietESG Academy (vietesg.vn) offers ESG training programmes for businesses and individuals.
VietESG — Independent ESG rating organisation. Ratings based on disclosed data, supporting evidence and a public methodology aligned with GRI and the SDGs.
