Accreditation

What Is Accreditation?

First, to begin, one must understand the difference between 'accreditation' and 'certification' and how they both play a role in the coaching forum. Accreditation is extended to an educational program via an accreditation regulatory body who has examined the program and has found it to meet or better the minimum standards of coaching practices. Therefore, it follows that when we are talking about accreditation, we are talking about the program itself that the individual has undertaken, not the graduate of the program. 

Certification, on the other hand, is the process of completing any coach training program that has devised a process whereby the student has demonstrated his or her competency in learning the necessary skills to coach. This verification process can be done either by live demonstration or by examination.

As mentioned above, the accreditation process (as pertaining to coaching), is one that gives public recognition to training institutions that are able to validate that they meet or better minimum standards of coach training. Although this may differ from country to country, these standards are usually set by the industry body itself. This process is as close as you can get to a guarantee that an institution will provide the quality of education it claims to offer, qualified trainers, effective recruitment and admission policies, and advertises its courses truthfully.

The accreditation of a program itself is done by assembling together an independent panel of individuals who will assess the program's merits against the standards of which the regulatory body has adopted to make their assessment. Should the program fall short, the educational body will receive notice and will be given the time to address any shortfalls.

You can, and many people do, begin coaching without certification or training of any kind. There is a wide range of views on the merits of accreditation. Some say it is essential to doing business as a professional coach, others believe it is simply a reason for many coach training schools to raise their tuition costs to an exorbitant amount.

In the context of the quickly growing coaching profession, Certified Coaches Alliance supports accreditation because it fosters continued improvement and self evaluation. Accreditation encourages the educational community, students, the general public and other interested agencies to define their purpose, set appropriate objectives and continue to rise to a place of learning that is consistent with the changing needs of the coach in training.

Is Accreditation Necessary?

Many individuals practice coaching successfully without receiving certification from any coaching educational program that is accredited through any accreditation regulatory body, however, certification offers the coach a greater opportunity to be perceived as the professional he or she aims to be. You may be more able to quickly grow your practice when you attend an accredited program that brings together the elements of both skills-building and business essentials.

Attending an accredited program also means you can bypass the lengthy requirements of the portfolio track should you decide to attend an accredited program at some later date. An accreditation can only be earned by performing to the highest standards and satisfying criteria in all of the following elements:

• Quality of training;

• Methods and variety of training;

• Quality of material;

• Experience of trainers;

• Backup and support;

• Value for money;

• Marketing methods and materials;

• Student Care;

• Quality of assessment and accreditation.

There are many points of view on the pro's and con's of program accreditation. We encourage you to do your research and make the choice that best fits you. In the end, it is most important that you align yourself with an organization that you can trust, that freely answers all your questions and that best reflects your own ideals and professional standards.

Article: The Truth About Life Coaching School Accreditation
This link to the above article is also found here.

Cost of Accreditation?

At a cost of evaluating a completed educational program through the Accredited Coach Training Program is $500.00 USD. Steps toward personal accreditation through the C.C.A. Portfolio Track To Accreditation is completed at a cost of $150.00 USD. Membership is currently $197.00 USD/year for educational bodies and $25.00 USD/year for the professional coach.