Coaching’s popularity increases in FE
Published:
19 April 2012 According to a new survey, coaching is seen as the most positive way of supporting change to improve a college’s performance.
The research was carried out by the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS). Staff in the Further Education (FE) and Skill sector were questioned and of those who responded 87% think coaching has a considerably more positive impact on change than other interventions, while 100% stated that they thought coaching is at least as good as other interventions. It also found that the majority of FE colleges (66%) are now providing coaching internally. Also according to the LSIS survey 57% of respondents are now looking to achieve higher levels of qualification in coaching to hone their skills.
Coaching is being used within the sector as an essential opportunity to step back and reflect and provide the space and framework to view situations from new perspectives. It also helps individuals, teams and organisations to generate new ideas and ways of moving forward. One LSIS client, Sharon Collett, Vice Principal (Academic and Student Affairs), The Bournemouth & Poole College, said: “When I am working with my direct reports I would be drawing from a coaching approach, using what I learned with the people I am managing to help them move forward. Coaching has helped through having time to reflect on where we were, how to improve the experience of the students and how to deploy the staff to do that.”
The sector is currently facing numerous changes such as restructuring, mergers, financial pressures, and a rethinking of its provision i.e. offering higher education courses at further education colleges. As a result there has been an increase in staff who are looking to strengthen their leadership skills and they see coaching as central to achieving that. LSIS, which is sector-led, now plans to increase its provision to respond to those who said they want to achieve higher levels of qualification in coaching.
Tracey Gardiner, Deputy Director, Teaching and Learning, City and Islington College, recently completed her coach training with LSIS and said: “Because coaching is led by the individual who is being coached, it’s about them taking ownership for solutions and changing, which means they really do change and put new ideas into practice. Particularly when coaching managers, it changes how they then manage and work with their teams.”
In Shrewsbury College of Arts and Technology a coaching approach from their LSIS training has already been piloted to achieve more effective target setting and improve learning outcomes for students, with remarkable success. Learners have commented that they now feel more confident and organised and “liked the way you showed that setting targets can be a fun thing to do instead of a horrendous nightmare that nobody wants to experience.”
Margaret Adjaye, LSIS’ Head of improvement Services, Qualities and Equalities said: “The survey we conducted has highlighted the positive impact coaching is having on the sector and the demand for cost-effective internally delivered coaching.
“Coaches are becoming accredited, belonging to at least one coaching body and adhering to their code of conduct, as well as coaches engaging in regular supervision to maintain and develop the quality of their coaching.
“Our ILM Level 5 programme is on its 10th cohort and we are developing an ILM Level 7 to meet a growing demand. Even in a difficult economic climate the sector has sought to embrace coaching and take it internally when it found that external coaches were a cost it felt that it couldn't bear.”
The survey results come ahead of Coaching as an intervention strategy, a seminar about coaching on 10 July. The event is organised by LSIS and features the opportunity for 16 delegates to undergo a 30 minutes coaching taster session. For further information about coaching on offer to the FE and Skills sector from LSIS contact Margaret Adjaye on 024 76 627713.
The research was carried out by the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS). Staff in the Further Education (FE) and Skill sector were questioned and of those who responded 87% think coaching has a considerably more positive impact on change than other interventions, while 100% stated that they thought coaching is at least as good as other interventions. It also found that the majority of FE colleges (66%) are now providing coaching internally. Also according to the LSIS survey 57% of respondents are now looking to achieve higher levels of qualification in coaching to hone their skills.
Coaching is being used within the sector as an essential opportunity to step back and reflect and provide the space and framework to view situations from new perspectives. It also helps individuals, teams and organisations to generate new ideas and ways of moving forward. One LSIS client, Sharon Collett, Vice Principal (Academic and Student Affairs), The Bournemouth & Poole College, said: “When I am working with my direct reports I would be drawing from a coaching approach, using what I learned with the people I am managing to help them move forward. Coaching has helped through having time to reflect on where we were, how to improve the experience of the students and how to deploy the staff to do that.”
The sector is currently facing numerous changes such as restructuring, mergers, financial pressures, and a rethinking of its provision i.e. offering higher education courses at further education colleges. As a result there has been an increase in staff who are looking to strengthen their leadership skills and they see coaching as central to achieving that. LSIS, which is sector-led, now plans to increase its provision to respond to those who said they want to achieve higher levels of qualification in coaching.
Tracey Gardiner, Deputy Director, Teaching and Learning, City and Islington College, recently completed her coach training with LSIS and said: “Because coaching is led by the individual who is being coached, it’s about them taking ownership for solutions and changing, which means they really do change and put new ideas into practice. Particularly when coaching managers, it changes how they then manage and work with their teams.”
In Shrewsbury College of Arts and Technology a coaching approach from their LSIS training has already been piloted to achieve more effective target setting and improve learning outcomes for students, with remarkable success. Learners have commented that they now feel more confident and organised and “liked the way you showed that setting targets can be a fun thing to do instead of a horrendous nightmare that nobody wants to experience.”
Margaret Adjaye, LSIS’ Head of improvement Services, Qualities and Equalities said: “The survey we conducted has highlighted the positive impact coaching is having on the sector and the demand for cost-effective internally delivered coaching.
“Coaches are becoming accredited, belonging to at least one coaching body and adhering to their code of conduct, as well as coaches engaging in regular supervision to maintain and develop the quality of their coaching.
“Our ILM Level 5 programme is on its 10th cohort and we are developing an ILM Level 7 to meet a growing demand. Even in a difficult economic climate the sector has sought to embrace coaching and take it internally when it found that external coaches were a cost it felt that it couldn't bear.”
The survey results come ahead of Coaching as an intervention strategy, a seminar about coaching on 10 July. The event is organised by LSIS and features the opportunity for 16 delegates to undergo a 30 minutes coaching taster session. For further information about coaching on offer to the FE and Skills sector from LSIS contact Margaret Adjaye on 024 76 627713.
Last updated: 14 January 2013
