TESS Group CMI
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46%Distinction Rate
4.9/5Trustpilot
Ofsted
Good
Level 5 Apprenticeship — 14 Months + EPA — Fully Funded — Workshops Rated 9.8/10

Coaching
Professional
Unlock Potential Everywhere.

This isn't just for leaders. Whether someone manages a team, mentors colleagues, supports clients, or simply wants to coach others to be their best — this programme gives them the skills, models, and confidence to transform performance through powerful coaching conversations. No prior coaching experience required.

ILM Level 5 Available (Optional)
ILM Approved Centre
EMCC Membership Available
Professional Body Aligned
14Month Programme
9.8Workshop Rating /10
100+Learner Reviews
100%Levy Funded

One Programme. Every Role. Limitless Impact.

From the shop floor to the boardroom — coaching skills belong everywhere in your organisation

Coaching Skills for Every Role

🎯 Managers & Team Leaders

Move from telling to asking. Learn to hold coaching conversations that build trust, empower your team, and drive genuine accountability — at every level of the organisation.

🚀 HR & L&D Professionals

Add professional coaching to your toolkit. Whether you're supporting talent development, managing performance, or driving culture change — coaching skills amplify everything you do.

🌱 Aspiring Coaches

Dreaming of a coaching career? This programme gives you a nationally recognised qualification, supervised practice hours, and professional body alignment — your launchpad into coaching.

🤝 Mentors & Support Roles

Already mentoring colleagues, supporting clients, or guiding others informally? Formalise your skills with proven models, ethical frameworks, and a professional qualification.

💡 Subject-Matter Experts

Technical experts, trainers, and project leads who want to develop others without doing the work for them. Coaching skills turn your expertise into lasting capability in those around you.

📈 Anyone Who Develops Others

If your role involves helping people grow — whether that's clients, colleagues, direct reports, or community members — this programme gives you the professional framework to do it brilliantly.

Who Is This For?

  • Anyone who coaches, mentors, or develops others
  • Managers, team leaders, and supervisors at any level
  • HR, L&D, and people development professionals
  • Trainers, assessors, and subject-matter experts
  • Aspiring coaches building a professional career
  • Anyone in a role where helping others grow matters

The Business Case for Coaching

Organisations with a strong coaching culture report significantly higher employee engagement, improved retention, and stronger pipelines at every level. Coaching doesn't just develop individuals — it transforms the way your entire business communicates, collaborates, and performs.

Better Conversations. Stronger People.
Real Results.

Go Further — Optional ILM Level 5 & Professional Membership

Enhance your apprenticeship with a globally recognised qualification and international coaching community

The apprenticeship is a powerful programme in its own right. But for learners who want to go further, we offer the ILM Level 5 Certificate in Effective Coaching and Mentoring as an optional add-on, plus access to EMCC Global individual membership. These extras set your people apart with credentials recognised by employers and professional bodies worldwide.

ILM Level 5 Certificate in Effective Coaching & Mentoring

City & Guilds Group — Globally Recognised — Optional Add-On

The gold standard for coaching professionals. Available as an optional upgrade alongside your apprenticeship, this qualification develops your ability to design, deliver, and evaluate coaching interventions within organisational settings. It equips you with evidence-based coaching models, ethical frameworks, and the reflective practice needed to become a truly effective coach.

Understanding Coaching & Mentoring
Undertaking Coaching or Mentoring
Reviewing Own Coaching Practice
Managing the Coaching Relationship

EMCC Practitioner Pathway

Aligned to the European Mentoring & Coaching Council's competency framework. Builds toward Accredited Coaching Practitioner status.

ICF Associate Coach Pathway

Programme content maps to International Coaching Federation competencies. Supports progression toward ACC accreditation.

AC Accredited Coach Pathway

Aligned with the Association for Coaching standards. A stepping stone toward professional Accredited Coach recognition.

Training That Speaks for Itself

Our coaching workshops are rated 9.8 out of 10 across over 100 learner reviews. That's not a target — it's what learners consistently tell us after experiencing the programme. Combine that with optional ILM certification and EMCC membership, and your people get an apprenticeship experience that goes far beyond the standard.

9.8/10
TESS
Workshops
100+
Learner
Reviews

What Learners Will Master

Workshop 01

Coaching Fundamentals & Context

Understand coaching as a professional discipline — in leadership, in support roles, and in every conversation where you help someone grow. Explore how non-directive approaches build trust and drive performance.

KnowledgeBehaviour
Workshop 02

Self-Awareness & Motivation

Develop deep self-awareness using models like the Johari Window. Understand how your values, biases, and emotional patterns shape your coaching — and learn to harness them.

KnowledgeSkill
Workshop 03

Coaching Behaviours & Values

Build your personal coaching philosophy grounded in ethical practice, professional boundaries, and the values that underpin trust in every coaching relationship.

BehaviourOptional ILM
Workshop 04

Coaching Models & Goal Setting

Master proven frameworks — GROW, OSKAR, Thinking Environment, CLEAR — and learn when to deploy each. Set powerful goals using visualisation, SMART objectives, and motivational techniques.

KnowledgeSkillOptional ILM
Workshop 05

Coaching Needs Analysis & Progress

Assess coaching needs, design interventions, and monitor progress using structured evaluation techniques. Measure the impact and ROI of your coaching practice.

SkillKnowledge
Workshop 06

Advanced Tools & Techniques

Go deeper with NLP, cognitive behavioural coaching, solutions-focused approaches, and emotional intelligence frameworks. Expand your toolkit for complex coaching scenarios.

SkillOptional ILM
Workshop 07

Peer, Group & Specialist Coaching

Develop skills for peer-to-peer coaching circles, group coaching, and coaching in specialist contexts. Build coaching capacity across your organisation — at every level, in every team.

SkillBehaviour
Workshop 08

Relationship Engagement & Evaluation

Master contracting, trust-building, and stakeholder management. Learn to evaluate coaching effectiveness and communicate value to sponsors, managers, and boards.

SkillKnowledgeOptional ILM
Workshop 09

Coaching Culture, Legislation & Data

Embed coaching into organisational culture. Navigate data protection, equality legislation, and ethical governance. Build a sustainable coaching framework that lasts.

KnowledgeBehaviour
Supervised Practice

Coaching Hours & Reflective Practice

Accumulate real coaching hours with diverse coachees. Engage in regular coaching supervision sessions and maintain a reflective journal — essential for professional body recognition.

Builds Portfolio Evidence
Optional Add-On

ILM Level 5 Qualification (Optional)

For learners who want a formal coaching qualification alongside the apprenticeship. ILM assessment preparation is woven into the programme so it complements — never competes with — the core learning.

Optional ILM Level 5
EPA Preparation

End Point Assessment Readiness

Comprehensive preparation for all three EPA components: knowledge test, observed coaching sessions with Q&A, and the portfolio-backed professional interview. Gateway readiness review included.

Pass or Distinction Graded

Your Learner Journey & End Point Assessment

14-Month Delivery + Gateway & EPA

Months 1–2

Foundations & Self-Awareness

Onboarding, initial coaching skills assessment, understanding coaching within leadership, and building deep self-awareness. Establishing the mindset and values that underpin exceptional coaching.

Months 3–5

Core Models, Tools & Practice

Mastering GROW, OSKAR, and Thinking Environment models. Goal setting, coaching behaviours, and beginning supervised coaching practice. ILM assessment work begins.

Months 6–8

Needs Analysis & Advanced Techniques

Coaching needs assessment, NLP and cognitive behavioural approaches, solutions-focused coaching, and emotional intelligence frameworks. Building your advanced coaching toolkit.

Months 9–11

Executive Coaching & Culture Building

Executive and peer coaching, stakeholder engagement, organisational coaching culture, data protection, and legislation. Optional ILM Level 5 assessment work for those enrolled.

Months 12–14

Portfolio, Reflection & Gateway

Consolidate coaching hours, complete reflective journal, finalise portfolio evidence. Demonstrate commercial impact. Full gateway readiness review.

Post Month 14 — Gateway & EPA

End Point Assessment

Gateway sign-off, then formal EPA across three components: Knowledge Test, Observation with Q&A, and Interview Supported by Portfolio. Graded Pass or Distinction.

End Point Assessment

Three-component EPA — rigorous, authentic, and designed to showcase real coaching capability. Grades: Pass or Distinction.

1. Knowledge Test (90 MINUTES)

40 multiple-choice questions completed online. Assesses understanding of coaching theories, ethical frameworks, models, and organisational context — the intellectual foundation of professional coaching.

2. Observation with Q&A (2 × 1 HOUR + 20 MIN Q&A)

Two live, one-hour coaching sessions with different individuals, observed by an independent assessor. Followed by a 20-minute question-and-answer session. The ultimate test of real-world coaching ability.

3. Interview with Portfolio (60 MINUTES)

A 60-minute professional interview with an independent End-Point Assessor, using a minimum of 9 questions. Apprentices can draw on their Portfolio of Evidence — built throughout the entire programme.

Grading

Apprentices are graded Pass or Distinction. Our comprehensive EPA preparation — including mock coaching observations and interview rehearsals — ensures every learner enters assessment with confidence.

Support Throughout

Every learner receives a dedicated skills coach, regular 1-to-1 progress reviews, coaching supervision sessions, access to our digital learning platform, and employer engagement to ensure coaching practice drives genuine workplace impact.

Why Choose TESS Group for Your Coaching Programme?

  • 9.8/10 Workshop Rating — 100+ Reviews

    Our coaching workshops are consistently rated 9.8 out of 10 by learners. Over 100 reviews and counting. That's not marketing — it's what people say after they experience the training.

  • 🏆

    Ofsted Good & 4.9/5 on Google & Trustpilot

    Independently verified quality plus exceptional learner satisfaction across every programme. Consistently among the best-rated training providers in the UK.

  • 🎓

    Optional ILM Level 5 Qualification

    Add the prestigious ILM Level 5 Certificate in Effective Coaching & Mentoring to your apprenticeship. A globally recognised qualification — available as an optional upgrade.

  • 🌍

    EMCC Membership — Join a Global Community

    We can arrange EMCC Global individual membership for your learners at a small additional fee. Access a worldwide network of coaching professionals, CPD resources, events, and a pathway to formal EMCC accreditation.

  • 🤝

    Professional Body Pathways (EMCC, ICF & AC)

    Programme content is aligned to the competency frameworks of the EMCC, ICF, and Association for Coaching — giving graduates a head start toward formal professional accreditation.

"I didn't come into this as a manager — I'm in L&D. But this programme completely changed how I have conversations. I coach colleagues, support new starters, and I now have a professional qualification that's opened doors I never expected."

— Coaching Apprenticeship Graduate, 2026

Ready to Build a Coaching Culture?

Fully funded through the Apprenticeship Levy or government co-investment. Develop your people as professional coaches — regardless of their role — and watch engagement, performance, and retention transform.

Get Started Today

The TESS Group
109 Innovation Centre, Green St, Northampton NN1 1SY

📞 01604 210 500
✉️ info@thetessgroup.com
🌐 tessgroup.co.uk

★★★★★
Workshops 9.8/10
Ofsted
Good
★★★★★
Google 4.9/5
★★★★★
Trustpilot 4.9/5
ILM
Approved Centre
EMCC
Membership