Grant Thornton and BPP join forces to launch new Coaching Professional Apprenticeship

Leading business and financial adviser Grant Thornton UK LLP (@GrantThorntonUK), and BPP (@BPPStudents), are pleased to announce the launch of the new Coaching Professional Programme. The new programme meets the requirements of the Level 5 Coaching Professional Apprenticeship Standard, which has recently been signed off for delivery by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.  

The 14-month training programme is designed for employees who will focus on working with a wide range of individuals and teams across organisations, to empower them to enhance their professional performance.   

The partnership brings together BPP’s high-quality apprenticeship provision together with Grant Thornton’s extensive coaching insight and expertise. The focus is on creating a high-quality programme with practical application from the outset.   

The Coaching Professional Programme is the latest addition to a suite of development programmes offered by Grant Thornton, in partnership with leading education providers, to respond to the needs of dynamic, growing organisations. It builds on the success of its existing leadership and management programmes and also its own European Mentoring and Coaching Council accredited coach development programme. The programme will help people to lead in a non-directive manner, helping people to learn through deep listening and reflective, open questions rather than instructing, giving advice or making suggestions. 

There has been a growing demand for the professionalisation of coaching and for skills to be embedded within culture and governance infrastructures to support future ways of working. The programme focusses on the philosophies of coaching, core coaching activities such as contracting, advanced listening and questioning based on neuroscience, models and theories of coaching in the workplace, developing deep emotional intelligence and equipping the coach with a toolkit to respond to a wide range of coaching scenarios.  

The programme costs £5,000 and eligible organisations will be able to use their Apprenticeship Levy to pay the entirety of this cost. The first intake for the programme will start in October 2020 and then quarterly thereafter.   

Justin Rix, Partner and People Advisory Lead, Grant Thornton UK LLP, said: 

“We have been heavily involved in the development of the new coaching professional standard and are delighted to be partnering with BPP to deliver this new programme. Coaching skills can play a key role in the success of an organisation, developing a workforce and leadership team who are agile, resilient and engaged. We are really excited to be working with BPP, a leading training provider, bringing together their first-rate expertise in delivering apprenticeship programmes and our extensive practical coaching experience and insight.” 

James Hammill, Executive Director at BPP, said:  

“This partnership underlines the development and commitment to producing professionals who can inspire others to do the same. With increased demand for coaching and education, we are pleased we can add this to a suite of high demand programmes that are geared towards supporting talent across a range of sectors. It marks BPP’s commitment to provide training for forward-thinking organisations who are looking to professionalise their workforce.”

Sam Isaacson, Chair of the Coaching Trailblazer and Head of Coaching Services, Grant Thornton UK LLP, added: 

“It’s been a privilege to work with employers and professional bodies to develop a new baseline of quality for the coaching profession, and I’m really excited for those learners who will experience this programme, and their employers.”