Coaching Professional Level 5

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Summary

This occupation is found in private, public and third sector national and multinational organisations and employers including the health sector, finance sector, engineering and manufacturing sectors, business and professional services, education sector, retail sector, leisure sector, technology sector and construction.

The purpose of the occupation is to work with a wide range of individuals and teams across organisations, to empower and engage with them to enhance their professional performance. Coaching is a way of leading in a non-directive manner, helping people to learn through deep listening and reflective, open questions rather than instructing, giving advice or making suggestions. Coaches work with a range of stakeholders including line managers, senior leaders and/or heads of the organisation. The stakeholders they engage with may be at any level, including those senior to the coach.

Ideal candidates

This course is perfect for those professionals who work with a wide range of individuals and teams across varied organisations. The course is designed to help the candidate to empower and engage with their team members to enhance their professional performance.

Coaching is a more effective way of leading without formal authority and recognises that in today’s flatter, less hierarchical workplace, lateral leadership can be even more important and dynamic.

Qualification

There are no qualifications associated with this program. Successful candidates will achieve the Coaching Professional Apprenticeship Standard at Level 5.

Course structure

The course is built around 31 standard components which encompass 53 separate activities including:

induction
taught sessions
assignments
coaching and support sessions etc

Knowledge, Skills, Behaviours

K1: Theories of learning and reflective practice such as Kolb, Gibbs, Schon, etc., and basic schools of psychology and neuroscience, including linguistic interpretation and application

K2: The theories of emotional and social intelligence, such as Goleman and Salovey & Mayer, and application of the theories to understanding self

K3: Diversity and inclusion and bias theory, including personality type theories, such as preferences for introversion vs extroversion, integrity, ontology and human values and how they impact on behaviour and organisations. The theory of self actualisation, such as Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, motivational theory, Herzberg

K4: The importance of coaching contracting and recontracting, and models enabling its effectiveness

K5: The theory of organisational culture (and values) and leadership styles, and the impact these can have on individuals and their behaviour

K6: Coaching theory, including maintaining good practice coaching protocols and a code of conduct within the coaching process (including “unconditional positive regard”, non-judgmentalism and non-directiveness)

K7: Methods of communication including verbal / non-verbal / building rapport / matching and mirroring. Listening skills, including levels of listening. Theories of relationship management, including transactional analysis, power dynamics, and stakeholder management theories

K8: Theories of increasing self-awareness such as the Johari Window and the journey from unconscious incompetence to unconscious competence, and types of feedback

K9: Evaluation: theories of return on investment and delivery of value

K10: The differences and similarities between coaching, mentoring, training, counselling and consulting

K11: Relevant legislation (e.g. Data Protection Act, safeguarding) and coaching competencies and codes of ethics described by the main professional bodies

K12: The existence of a range of coaching models and techniques, and related psychological approaches, such as Whitmore’s GROW model, Kline’s Thinking Environment, Gestalt, neurolinguistic programming (NLP), cognitive behavioural coaching, positive psychology, metaphor, solutions-focussed coaching and skills and performance coaching. Methods of goal setting, such as SMART goals, alignment of personal and organisational goals, and aspirational/dream goals

S1: Time management, including scheduling coaching sessions, and self-leadership to resolve conflicting priorities and ensure sufficient time for record keeping and other role activities

S2: Working with those receiving coaching to set clear goals, including visualisation techniques, setting timescales, validating their achievability, recording outcome-focused, prioritised action plans and monitoring progress towards goals

S3: Communication, including (but not limited to) descriptions of the coaching process and roles and responsibilities (including those related to boundaries and confidentiality), and the benefits of coaching in relation to the context of those receiving coaching

S4: Contracting with all relevant stakeholders, including logistics, preferences of the coach and those receiving coaching, considerations of the system within which the coaching relationship sits, goal setting, outcome realisation and contract conclusion. This includes holding oneself to high ethical standards, particularly in the areas of confidentiality (including when maintaining coaching records) and management of boundaries (including their own competence and values, relevant codes of ethics, and relevant legislation, policies and procedures)

S5: Stakeholder management, including a range of challenging and senior people, and focus on their agenda and outcomes throughout

S6: Rapport/trust building and maintenance, including recognition of the personal values, emotional state(s) and response of those receiving coaching, validating their understanding of themselves and their circumstances, dealing with difficult coaching relationships and ensuring non-dependence on the coach

S7: Deliver feedback in a style that is useful, acceptable, non-judgmental and meaningful to those receiving coaching

S8: Identification of patterns of thinking and limiting/enabling beliefs and actions

S9: Questioning techniques to raise the self-awareness of those receiving coaching, including asking open questions, broaching challenging subject areas (e.g. emotional state, characteristics of wider systems) and questioning untrue, limiting assumptions

S10: Uses several established tools and techniques to develop their own coherent model of coaching to help those receiving coaching work towards outcomes. Uses models and approaches from the context of those receiving coaching

S11: Demonstrates emotional intelligence, including demonstrating empathy and genuine support for those receiving coaching (“unconditional positive regard”), and adapting language and behaviour in response to the whole person of those receiving coaching

S12: Applies coaching theories, models and tools, techniques and ideas beyond the core communication skills in order to bring about insight and learning

S13: Identifies energy shifts within a coaching context, enabling these to be aired and addressed and managed

S14: Manages and celebrates diversity in their coaching practice, including demonstrating how diversity and inclusion informs their professional practice

S15: Demonstrates awareness of own values, beliefs and behaviours; recognises how these affect their practice and uses this self-awareness to manage their effectiveness in meeting the objectives of those receiving coaching and, where relevant, the sponsor

B1: Committed to self-development, including self-reflection, gathering information on the effectiveness of their own practice, producing personal development plans and receiving coach supervision

B2: Self-awareness, including of their own behaviours, values, beliefs and attitudes, and attending to their own wellbeing, resilience and maintaining mental capacity

B3: Act as an ambassador for a coaching mindset and positive approach to personal development

B4: Is spontaneous, open and flexible, demonstrating respect and engendering trust

Examinations

EPA will consist of a 3-stage assessment:

2 hours observation session followed by a 20 minute Q&A session
a 60 minute interview supported by the candidate’s portfolio of evidence
a 40 minute multiple choice knowledge test

Gradings: Fail/Pass/Distinction

Progression routes

A successful candidate could branch into one-to-one coaching, team coaching, leadership coaching and endorse coaching skills so that they’re used within business culture and governance infrastructures. The course includes everything required to become an accredited coach, or an authentic coaching manager. Typical roles post qualification could be:

Business coach, career coach, coaching practitioner, coaching professional, leadership coach, performance coach, systemic coach, team coach, wellbeing coach.

Professional coaching is found in private, public and third sector national and multinational organisations and employers. It is found in every sector across the country including: health, finance, engineering and manufacturing, business and professional services, education, retail, leisure, technology and construction.

Recognition and potential benefits

The Coaching Professional Level 5 apprenticeship aligns with the professional accreditation standards of coaching bodies:

The Association for Coaching for Accredited Coach

European Mentoring and Coaching Council for Accredited Coaching Practitioner

The International Coach Federation for Associate Certified Coach

A Level 5 qualification is equivalent to a diploma of higher education (DipHE) foundation degree and Higher national diploma (HND).

Business Coaches typically earn on average between £37,000 and £55,000 per year in the UK. Life and wellbeing coaches can make between £60 per hour to £120 per hour on average.

Overview

Duration

Training: 18 Months
Gateway: 18 Month Point
End Point Assessment: 3 Months

Total: 21 Months

Enrolment

Enrolling now subject to suitability

Funding

Levy – £5,000 deducted from your digital account
Non-Levy – 95% Government funded, £250 employer contribution

Level of Apprenticeship

Level 5

Gateway

Upon completion of your training, you will need to pass through the Gateway to enter the End Point Assessment.

Gateway requirements:

Maths & English (Level 2/Grade C/4 or equivalent)

All training will be provided for the above Gateway requirements, if not previously achieved. For exemption of these aims, we will require evidence of certification at enrolment.