With coaching having become such a fast growing field over the past decade, there's a lot of information out there about coach training and certification, and it can be a bit confusing. Let's see if we can sort out a few things.

Certification - A certification program is one that requires you to complete a program that has an established set of core competencies; that evaluates you on your proficiency within these competencies; that has been audited by an accrediting agency; and that requires the institute delivering the program to be approved as an accrediting agency.

76% of HR professionals and coaching clients are now saying that formal training and recognized certification are either important or absolutely essential.

Certificate - A certificate program is typically a certificate of completion - meaning that you've completed the course work and have potentially been evaluated on what you've learned. While it can be extensive, this is not necessarily a certification and is not typically recognized by an industry association.

Certifiable - A certifiable program is one that certifies you in a new profession for $99 - $899. It's incredible to think about, but nonetheless, because of the growth of coaching, there are those that are looking to cash in on the marketplace and its consumers. Buyers beware. There are some good programs out there that will help you learn about coaching, but watch out for those that represent that they "certify" you.

Actually, in the case of the latter two, the only one doing the "certifying" is the company itself. It's not an industry recognized certification by any association.

At iPEC, our Coach Training Program has been accredited by the International Coach Federation (the governing body and largest coaching association globally) since 2002. We passed our accreditation on our first application at a time when most programs were being turned away for not meeting the requirements and competencies of the profession.
We've been sanctioned to provide you with your industry-recognized certification.

This isn't simply about the quality of our training; it's about the quality of YOUR training. We're here to support you to be the most masterful and successful coach that you can be.

Call 1.866.72COACH (866.722.6224) or email admissions@iPECcoaching.com today to learn more and to discover the possibilities available to you as a Certified Professional Coach.

Author's Bio: 

D. Luke Iorio, CPC, PCC, ELI-MP, is President & CEO of the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC), Shrewsbury, NJ, where he oversees all aspects of the Institute, including corporate operations, strategic business development, marketing, admissions and sales, joint ventures, and strategic alliances.

Luke jumped into the entrepreneurial world right out of college, landing a job in a small, yet highly successful consumer and health-care advertising agency, Koenig & Associates, working directly for the Founder and CEO. He was quickly promoted from Marketing Coordinator to Production Manager, and later, to Senior Account Executive – all within his first year. After two years as the Marketing Communications Manager for a niche IT firm, VISTA International, Luke left the field to join his family’s thriving business brokerage firm.

Luke worked very closely with entrepreneurs looking to sell their businesses, learning about the significant business and life transitions into which they were entering, and helping them devise strategies to create the value in their businesses that they were seeking. Though oftentimes they were more than twice his age, Luke was able to empower them to chart their course, while raising their own confidence in what they could achieve.

Seizing opportunity and a market need, Luke went on to found LINC Performance Group, a marketing and management consultancy, working with entrepreneurs – the same group he’d already been serving – as these were the consistently vibrant, energetic, motivated, and highly insightful individuals that inspired him.

It was during this time, at the end of 2004, that Luke met Bruce D Schneider, Founder and Chairman of iPEC. Luke enrolled in iPEC’s accredited coach training program and dove in like a meteor, and was what founder Bruce D Schneider calls, “an overnight success.” Schneider first hired him as a business consultant, and then quickly recruited him for the position of IPEC’s Vice President in charge of marketing and operations, recognizing that the young man was a rare find. Luke left his own business and joined iPEC full-time, drawn to coaching and Schneider’s work on Energy Leadership – a new coaching model and human behavioral construct that held many significant revelations for Luke.

In addition to his work with iPEC, Luke serves as a public speaker on a number of topics related to the power of coaching, Energy Leadership, small business and entrepreneurial success, and business development. http://ipeccoaching.com/become-a-certified-coach.htm