Quest Apprenticeship – Coaching Professional

Quest Apprenticeship Coaching Professional – Level 5 Description

We are pleased to announce a new Quest apprenticeship for GWR colleagues. Quest apprenticeships are aimed at colleagues who currently work for GWR, and give learners the opportunity to gain new skills, knowledge and behaviours which can be put into practice in the workplace and are a great development opportunity. Study is mainly online through our education partner Exeter College. There is no change to your terms and conditions, and you study alongside your current role.

Coaching is a way of leading in a non-directive manner, helping people to learn through deep listening and reflective, open questions rather than instructing, giving advice or making suggestions. It can help to empower and engage colleagues to enhance their professional performance. Effective coaching is future focussed, releases potential, and enables transition, transformation and change for business improvement. This apprenticeship is perfect for anyone looking to build their coaching skills - whether you're a coach, team leader, manager or trainer, it's designed to help you work confidently with individuals and teams in a range of environments.

In this apprenticeship you will learn how to:

• Plan, conduct and record coaching needs to inform your coaching practice
• Agree and develop coaching contracts with all the relevant parties that also consider ethical issues in coaching and boundaries.
• Deliver effective and responsive coaching sessions, ensuring they reflect boundaries and professional requirements and contribute towards wider objectives.
• Select and use a suitable variety of coaching tools and techniques.
• Review and interpret coaching needs, identifying when coaching is / isn't appropriate, and signpost those receiving coaching to other professional services when needed.
• Provide support to those receiving coaching in the definition and delivery ofvalidgoals, through clearly defined and committed to actions.
• Design coaching interventions that frame, challenge and meet the agreed objectives in the coaching contract.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of coaching interactions for the purposes of quality assurance and self-development for the coach and to measure return on investment.
• Maintain records of coaching practice including the logging of coaching hours, supervision, recording CPD and maintaining logs of practice.

To succeed in this apprenticeship, learners need to be able to coach at least three colleagues who would be able to participate in multiple coaching sessions. Two of these colleagues would be involved in the End Point Assessment observation. Learners are required to complete administrative actions as part of coaching Continuous Personal Development and reflective logs including entries before coaching sessions with each coachee and after, as well as follow up emails and minute taking.

You will achieve the Level 5 Coaching Professional Apprenticeship Standard including Chartered Manager Status (CMgr) and CMI Student Membership. The qualification is recognised by the European Mentoring and Coaching Council, the Association for Coaching and the International Coach Federation. GWR apprentices say that they enjoy learning in adulthood, building their confidence and meeting colleagues all over the network, as well as having their work valued and analysed by highly rated Exeter college tutors.

To support you, you will be allocated a GWR mentor.

The programme will be delivered by Ofsted Outstanding Exeter College through online and face to face taught sessions and will typically last 18 months. You will also have planned eight weekly reviews with your Skills Officer and GWR mentor to discuss progress and on programme support. Once training has been concluded there will be an End Point Assessment where learners can showcase their work.

Tutors from Exeter College will work with you and support you to prepare for the End Point Assessment.

Due to the amount and standard of written work required throughout the course, a Grade C or higher GSCE or equivalent in English and Maths would be expected. Other relevant workplace qualifications or prior experience may be considered as an alternative if appropriate.

Applicants will be required to complete an application form and if short listed, a short on-line briefing session and interview with the college tutor.

Please note, as part of the short-listing process, your application form will be shared with Exeter College.

More information about the apprentice standard can be found here: https://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)./

Sarah Elkins, Coach and Mentor on

Adele Wheeler, Coach and Mentor on