Hello lizabiz-ga,
Coaching is a growing industry but there are no regulations governing
it. There are two certification organizations that are widely
recognized. The International Coach Federation and the International
Association of Coaches. Both of these organizations have associated
training programs. There are also lots of training programs that are
not certified by these organizations. Anyone can self-designate as a
coach. The IPEC program you’re thinking of attending is certified by
the ICF. I wasn’t able to find anything about the IPEC program
specifically, but I’ve included articles that give you some
suggestions for what criteria you can use to evaluate the program and
make your own decisions.
There is a wealth of resources available for evaluating what it takes
to become a coach, how to choose a coach, the value of various
training programs and projected growth in the industry. One of the
most important considerations for all coaches seems to be the question
of how to market your services. Coaches need to decide what style of
coaching they plan to provide and then find a training program and
coach association that will support their vision of setting up an
active coaching practice.
I suggest that in addition to conducting online research, you also
talk to as many coaches as possible to get advice from active
practitioners about the realities of this business. Good luck with
your explorations.
czh
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COACH CERTIFICATION AND TRAINING ORGANIZATIONS
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http://www.ipeccoaching.com/becomeacoach/bechome.htm
Institute for Professional Empowerment Coaching
IPEC is an accredited coach training program through the International
Coach Federation!
***** This is the program you’re considering attending.
http://www.spaxman.com.hk/coachtrain.html
*About International Certification
There are two international organizations that certify coaches.
1) International Coach Federation (ICF) has been established since
1992 and certifies coaches based on training, experience and
competencies. For more information, see www.coachfederation.org.
2) The International Association of Coaches (IAC) certifies coaches
based on proficiencies without any specific training or experience
requirements. See www.certifiedcoach.org.
http://www.coachfederation.org/
International Coach Federation
ICF helps people find the coach most suitable for their needs. It
supports and fosters development of the coaching profession; has
programs to maintain and upgrade the standards of the profession;
conducts a certification program that is the gold standard for coaches
worldwide; and conducts the world's premier conference and other
educational events for coaches.
ICF is the largest non-profit professional association worldwide of
personal and business coaches with more than 6000 members and over 145
chapters in 30 countries.
http://www.coachinc.com/coachu/default.asp?s=1
Coach University – CoachU
Coach U is the leading global provider of coach training programs. The
Coach Training Program (CTP) meets the academic requirements for
becoming a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) or Master Certified
Coach (MCC) through the International Coach Federation (ICF). The Core
Essentials and the Core Essentials Fast Track Programs provide a solid
foundation to become a certified coach.
http://www.internationalassociationofcoaches.org/default2.html
International Association of Coaches
The IAC was the brainchild of Thomas J. Leonard, often credited as the
founder of the coaching profession, in May of 2002. He asked his R&D
Team their take on establishing a certification standard based on the
15 Proficiencies he had developed at CoachVille and was overwhelmed
with positive response. He asked Michael O. "Coop" Cooper to volunteer
to launch the organization.
http://www.certifiedcoach.org/faqs.html
Doesn't the ICF (International Coaching Federation) already do most of
the same things that the IAC does?
Quite simply, we have higher standards and promote those throughout
the coaching profession and to the public. Our certification process
is based on the 15 Proficiencies developed by CoachVille, which, we
believe, are more objective measurements of coaching ability than
number of hours coached or number of classes attended. Our
certification exam tests knowledge of and demonstrated use of the
Proficiencies. Our exam design is more objective and measurable. There
are no prerequisites for taking our exam, because we test
demonstration of competency.
http://www.coachville.com/
CoachVille
At CoachVille, our mission is to improve the quality of coaching
worldwide. Our vision is that everyone is a coach. We offer more
useful tools than any other coaching association in the world. That's
why CoachVille has grown to over 27,200 members in 107 countries. And
I'd love for you to be a part of it.
Only CoachVille offers a coaching mall specifically for the needs of
coaches. Why? The more we can assist to connect every coach, the
stronger and more supportive of a community we're all going to enjoy
and benefit from.
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EVALUATING COACHING PROGRAMS
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http://www.innovativeleader.com/coaching.htm
Innovative Leadership International
Coaching as a profession has been around for more than 25 years, and
recently it has caught the attention of national news broadcasts and
publications. Coaching is a performance improvement technology that
can powerfully advance the careers and results of people at all levels
of the organization.
***** The collection of white papers and surveys are especially
helpful for your investigations.
http://www.coachcentral.info/comparisons.html
Comparison of Certification Programs
Coaching is a young profession that is growing quickly. One of the
growing pains in our profession is the challenge of establishing norms
for what constitutes a Certified Coach. The following table
illustrates the dramatic difference in the hours involved in obtaining
certification from 3 different coaching schools. The first school* has
gone through the process of obtaining accreditation from the ICF. The
other two ( who will remain nameless), have not.
***** This article gives you some ideas about the criteria you may wan
to use to evaluate the coach training programs you’re considering.
http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2001/02/19/story5.html
February 19, 2001 -- Getting a coach, getting a life
'Personal coaches' train clients for a winning life
While there is no legal requirement for people to get certified to
coach, coaches' training institutes have been sprouting up all over
the Bay Area and the rest of the country. Coaching certification is
offered through both the International Coach Federation and six
ICF-accredited training schools, including the Coaches Training
Institute in San Rafael. CTI's entire program, including certification
and an exam fee, costs $5,745.
http://www.webpronews.com/articles/2003/0209ft4.html
02.08.03 -- Business/Executive Coaching Is Emerging But All That
Glitters is Not Gold!
Just as shamans, snake doctors and financial folks once freely
dispensed unregulated advice and wares to the public, business
coaching currently requires no specific training, experience or
credentials. Any organization or individual, including your neighbor,
bartender or hairdresser, can legally profess to be a coach.
http://www.linezine.com/2.1/features/bwccl.htm
Coaching Catalyzes E-Learning
Coaching seems to be getting a lot of press these days. Maybe it’s
because of the Olympics. Maybe it’s because many good business leaders
have coaches pointing them in the right direction or suggesting paths
to use. LiNE Zine recently caught up with Dr. Brenda Wilkins, one of
the foremost researchers on coaching, and got her take on the
intersection of elearning and coaching.
http://www.therapistcoach.org/Articles_About_Coaching_5.htm
The Business Case For Coaching
Coaching is clearly not a fad but a clear trend in leadership
communication. However, most organizations are unclear about
coaching, what it is and how it should be integrated into
organizational systems. The following discussion addresses those
issues and outlines clearly how to promote development in an
organization by using a coaching system.
http://www.earley.org/emergence_of_coaching.htm
The Emergence of Coaching
This article was written for humanistic psychologists and published in
the June/July 2001 issue of AHP Perspective.
Coaching is a new profession that has been growing by leaps and bounds
recently. It originated in the corporate world during the 1980’s,
where coaches were used to help executives become more successful in
their business functioning. Coaching is now being used by people at a
variety of levels in corporations and also with non-profits, small
business, professionals, and just ordinary folks.
http://www.ruthledesma.com/faq.html
WHAT TRAINING IS REQUIRED TO BECOME A COACH?
Coaching is still very much an emerging profession and many people are
tacking "coach" onto the list of their titles -- I'm a trainer and a
coach" or "I'm a consultant and a coach" for example. While they may
consider themselves qualified, the International Coach Federation
(ICF) and the International Association of Coaches (IAC) are now
accrediting coach training programs and credentialing professional
coaches. Both must meet quite stringent criteria in order to qualify
with either organization.
Coach University has been the premier coach training program. At
Coach U, students attend teleclasses -- up to 20 or so people all dial
in to the same long distance number at the same time and one big
conference call becomes the class. What better preparation for
working on the phone than to train on the phone?
All the accredited training programs recommend (if not require) that
you work with a coach yourself before you can become a qualified
professional coach for other people.
The Graduate School of Coaching, founded in 2002 by coaching pioneer
Thomas Leonard as part of Coachville.com, is the leading edge of
coaching innovation. Now, the School of Coaching at Coachville is the
coach training program of the 21st Century.
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SEARCH STRATEGY
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coaching credentialing organizations
comparison coach training programs
coaching white paper
"Institute for Professional Empowerment Coaching"
ICF IAC |
