In 1996 Peer Resources created a list on their website of the few coach training organizations that provided formal training for coaches. Eight years later there are now over 150 such organizations listed. With no regulations or common standards, each training school was free to initiate its own certification system. And initiate they did.

There are now more than 23 distinct certifications in North America and the United Kingdom as well as other countries, and the systems used to grant certification vary. Some are competency-based, some require attaining hours of course work, others require supervision by someone who has already attained the certification, and some even rely on self-assessment.

The variety and proliferation of certification systems has led to confusion, controversy and skepticism about the coaching field. One of the most frequently expressed concerns by those individuals who request information about the variety of coach training schools listed on our website is: “How important is certification?”

In order to answer this question, Peer Resources created a Poll on Certification where visitors to their website could “vote” as to the degree of importance and leave a comment regarding their viewpoint about certification. This brief article summarizes the latest results of the poll and describes the main points identified by website visitors.

Peer Resources Website Poll on Certification
To make the poll easy and quick to complete, six categories were available for selection. Certification could be described by visitors as “Absolutely Essential (AE),” “Very Important (VI),” “Important (IM),” “Somewhat Important (SI),” “Not Important (NI),” or some “Other (Oth)” choice. The graph accompanying this article shows the results of this poll as of June 29, 2004 with 2,745 votes cast.



In addition to casting a vote, visitors could also “explain” or provide more information about their vote. While not everyone chose to leave a comment following their actual vote, more than 500 visitors did leave some type of comment. These comments appear to reflect common themes and probably are a fair representation of the variety of viewpoints regarding certification. Here are the common themes. Taken from the Peer Resources website

Certification is a political tool.
Various organizations are in a struggle control coach certification. Although the organizations suggest that their emphasis on certification is primarily to benefit the coaching industry, the general public (and potential clients), and coaches themselves, critics respond by saying that the primary beneficiary of certification is the organization (through fees collected for either membership, certification processing, or certification procedures.)

Certification is a marketing tool.
Coaching schools use certification to keep participants lined-up for their courses. Coaching schools may also be using certification as a way of intimidating prospective coaches into believing that unless a coach is certified they will not be able to gain enough clients to survive in the field. Courses may provide value and be experienced as worthwhile by the participants, yet when the credentials of the experienced and well-known coaches are examined, few have paid any attention to certification. Instead most attend to what a person can achieve or do. To some, then, certification is perceived as a marketing tool, not a validation of accomplishment.

Certification is arbitrary.
Certification based on hours of experience may be a way to underscore the importance of experience, but hour-based approaches are at best arbitrary and at worst misleading the public. Is a coach with 250 hours of experience really less able than a coach with 500 hours of experience? It might be logical to say, "yes," but the there is too little evidence that such hour designations are equivalent to capability. In reality the use of hours to determine certification is probably based on the outdated university system of awarding a degree after completion of a certain number of units or courses.

Certification is primarily for generating revenue.
Of all the views expressed about certification this one is the most prevalent. Considerable cynicism appears to exist regarding the “real” reason versus the “stated” reason for certification. One organization came under continuous criticism for its self-management of certification, requiring fees for application and payment of fees to others who already hold such certification in order for the applicant to become eligible for certification. Many website visitors described certification as a “cash-grab.” Highly critical visitors described particular certification systems as pyramid scams or Ponzi schemes. One website visitor said that certification was like a virus: “it spreads fast, wipes out all the alternatives, and eventually eats its host.”

Certification is a weak substitute for integrity.
Many experienced coaches believe that certification is unnecessary. Partly this is based on the idea that their actions are more important than their certificates. Actions typically include their attention to training themselves to offer the best possible quality of service, ethics, integrity, and skill to assist clients. In addition many coaches believe that the results their clients have gained or the outcomes their clients have achieved ought to be the main qualification.

Certification exploits the inexperienced.
Younger visitors (as determined by their website comments or by their telephone enquiries) who had less life experience and minimal formal training or degrees, were more likely to seek certification and describe it as essential. They typically equated certification with the ability to attract clients and establish a legitimate practice. Older visitors, typically those with degrees, extensive life and business experience, or previous formal training in another helping profession area, were less likely to be interested in certification or would typically state that certification was of little importance to them.

Certification protects the public.
The most popular view for certification was that it distinguishes charlatans and the unskilled (and unscrupulous) from qualified, trained, and skilled individuals. The problem is, as many others will point out, without accepted standards, legislated regulations, or even common goals, certification actually serves to bamboozle the public. Add to this the documented case of a coach certifying herself with the same certification designation as used by one of the largest coaching organizations, the public has no way of truly being protected or educated. Critics of certification believe it does not eliminate irresponsible or inappropriate practices passing as coaching. At the present time, although likely to be confidential, there does not appear to be a case of a certified individual having his or her certification removed or revoked. In addition, as of this writing, no organization or association in the coaching field has a mechanism in place to provide scrutiny or discipline for certified members that engage in inappropriate, illegal, or immoral activities.

Certification acts as a beacon.
Many supporters of certification acknowledge its weaknesses, but believe that it is a way to improve the quality of coaching, document a coach’s training, and provide an opportunity for coaching schools to validate the progress of their participants. Advocates believe that certification is more of a starting point than an end in itself. Proponents of certification believe there is a positive movement amongst various coach training schools to tailor their offerings to conform to the certification requirements of a particular coaching association. They see this movement towards commonality as a way to establish more widely accepted standards and provide greater opportunities for industry self-regulation.

The proliferation of various systems of certification shows no sign of slowing down. Traditional universities are adding to the mix by providing diplomas, certificates, and degrees in coaching, thus making the maze of designations more difficult to navigate and understand. At the end of July, 2004 Peer Resources will publish on its website a guide to the various types of certification. The guide will include details on each certification designation as well as a list of the sources of certification.

This article was written by Rey Carr of Peer Resources. Peer Resources has been in operation as a non-profit educational corporation since 1975 and has an unequaled record of experienced and published experts in peer, mentor, and coach systems in Canada.

About the Author
This article was written by Rey Carr of Peer Resources. Peer Resources has been in operation as a non-profit educational corporation since 1975 and has an unequaled record of experienced and published experts in peer, mentor, and coach systems in Canada.

Previous Articles
Read our previous articles.