Coaching Skills for Impact
Coaching Skills for Impact is an online coaching programme launching in April 2027, with 60 hours of live teaching, self-paced work, mentoring and guided practice. You earn four ICA badges, the ICA Certified Professional: Coaching certification (ICP-COA) and the programme certificate.
Description
Coaching Skills for Impact: Online Coaching Certification Programme, Launching April 2027
Go from coaching foundations to confident, observed practice, with a mentor coach alongside you all the way.
Programme certificate |
ICF Level 1 accredited coaching education |
Agile Affinity LLP is accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) for Level 1 coaching education. ICF accredits the organisation, and a programme certificate is awarded on completion of this programme.
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Format: Live online sessions in English plus self-paced work Start: Launching April 2027. Self-paced materials for each class are provided on registration from 1 April 2027 Trainers: Helen Meek and John Barratt, co-leading |
Total learning: 60 hours Mentor coaching: 10 hours: 3 one-to-one and 7 group sessions (group sessions every other Thursday, 5 to 6pm UK time) Best-case route: 14 weeks* from the Core to the final one-to-one |
Coaching Skills for Impact is a new online coaching programme from Agile Affinity, launching in April 2027. It takes you from coaching foundations to confident, observed practice across 60 hours of live teaching, mentoring and guided practice, with a mentor coach alongside you all the way.
This is not a single class with one start date to wait for. You can begin the self-paced work as soon as you sign up, and the live Core Credential is listed with its dates on the booking page. The fastest route from the Core to your final one-to-one takes 14 weeks*. Take longer on the three Specialised Credentials if you need to, and take the programme more than once if you want to.
You leave with four ICA badges (the Core Credential and three Specialised Credentials), the ICA Certified Professional: Coaching certification (ICP-COA) and the Agile Affinity programme certificate. Every credential can also be booked on its own.
Your Learning Journey on the Programme
Start with the Core, take the three Specialised Credentials in any order and at your own pace, then finish with the Integration session once the three are done.
Week by Week*
Live teaching, mentoring and peer practice are spread across the weeks so you can apply what you learn. This is the best-case route. Take longer if you need to.
How Do You Go On to Earn the ICF ACC Credential?
Completing Coaching Skills for Impact does not award an ICF credential. It gives you the ICF Level 1 accredited coaching education and the mentor coaching, and you then apply to ICF yourself for the Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential. Here is the route.
1. Complete the programme. Your 60 hours of coaching education and 10 hours of mentor coaching are done within Coaching Skills for Impact, and you leave with your programme certificate. There is no exam or final performance evaluation on the programme.
2. Build your coaching experience. ICF asks for 100 or more hours of coaching experience with at least 8 clients, 75 of those hours paid, and at least 25 hours in the 18 months before you apply.
3. Apply to ICF directly. You apply through ICF and pay ICF’s own fees, currently an application fee of $175 USD for ICF members or $325 USD for non-members. Check coachingfederation.org for current fees.
4. Take the ICF ACC exam. The exam is taken with ICF once your application is accepted.
How we support you. Our Integration session shows you how ACC coaching is marked, prepares you for the ICF exam and helps you plan how to build your practice. Your mentor coach is with you through the programme, and afterwards you keep support and community through the Agile Affinity Discord, Scrum Event, the Agile Coaching Exchange and Agile Coach Camp UK.
Included in the programme price: all ICA credential fees (four badges and ICP-COA), our ICF accredited coaching education, 10 hours of mentor coaching and your programme certificate. ICF’s own fees are not included.
How Do You Earn the ICA Certified Professional: Coaching Certification (ICP-COA)?
Start with the Core Credential, Coaching (IC-COAC), then take the three Specialised Credentials in any order and at your own pace: Coaching Ethics and Boundaries (IC-CHEB), Coaching Presence and Stance (IC-CHPS) and Listening and Inquiry (IC-LSTN). ICP-COA needs the Core plus any two of the three, so with all three you finish with four ICA badges and the full programme.
A Mentor Coach Alongside You All the Way
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Mentor coaching is built into the programme, not added on. You get 10 hours of it: three one-to-one sessions (a baseline, a midpoint and a final) and seven one-hour group sessions. Group mentoring runs every other Thursday, 5 to 6pm UK time, and you can join as many calls as you like. Between sessions you practise with peers in dojos, record five practice sessions for written feedback, and keep a practice coaching log and a reflective journal. |
What Will You Receive?
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1
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Four ICA badgesThe Core Credential, Coaching (IC-COAC), plus Coaching Ethics and Boundaries (IC-CHEB), Coaching Presence and Stance (IC-CHPS) and Listening and Inquiry (IC-LSTN). |
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2
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The ICA Certified Professional: Coaching certificationEarn ICP-COA, the ICA certification that brings your credentials together. |
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3
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The programme certificate**Awarded when you complete Coaching Skills for Impact. |
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4
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10 hours of mentor coachingThree one-to-one sessions and seven one-hour group sessions, with a mentor coach alongside you all the way. |
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5
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Peer practice and your own practice workPeer practice dojos, pre-work for each live session, five recorded practice sessions with written feedback, a practice coaching log, a reflective journal. |
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6
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Support and communitySupport and community throughout your coaching career, including lifetime access to the Agile Affinity Discord, Scrum Event, the Agile Coaching Exchange and Agile Coach Camp UK. |
Agile Affinity is rated 4.9 out of 5 from 48+ verified Google Reviews
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★★★★★ 
“Great experience gaining my certificate with Agile Affinity. The mentoring sessions helped me gain valuable feedback across my training!” Vasileios Manolas |
★★★★★ 
“Thank you so much for the best course and your support. The step-by-step approach and clear explanations allowed me to learn and apply the knowledge in real life.” Unchasa Anong |
How Does the Coaching Skills for Impact Programme Work?
Start when you sign up, finish at your own paceThere is no single start date to wait for. The self-paced work opens as soon as you sign up, and the live Core is listed with its dates on the booking page. The best-case route from the Core to your final one-to-one is 14 weeks*. If you need longer on the three Specialised Credentials, take it. You can also take the programme more than once. |
Live teaching in four-hour sessionsThe Core Credential is two four-hour live sessions. Ethics and Boundaries, Presence and Stance, and Listening and Inquiry are each a four-hour live session, taken in any order. The Integration session is a final live session of three and a half hours, with about an hour of pre-work, and it opens once the three credentials are done. |
Mentoring, practice and your own timeMentor coaching is three one-to-one sessions (baseline, mid and final) and seven group sessions, every other Thursday, 5 to 6pm UK time. Join as many calls as you like. Between sessions you have peer practice dojos, pre-work, five recorded practice sessions with written feedback, a practice coaching log, a reflective journal. |
Who Is This For?
This programme suits anyone who wants to build real coaching skill, from your first steps in coaching to a coaching practice of your own.
People starting out in coaching. You want a structured route from coaching foundations to confident practice, with feedback at every stage.
Agile coaches, Scrum Masters and team leads. You already coach part of the time and want recognised credentials and observed practice behind it.
Managers and leaders. You want coaching skills for your own people, with ethics and boundaries built in.
Aspiring professional coaches. You plan to build a coaching practice and want support and community as your career develops.
What Will You Cover on the Programme?
The programme is built from five live pieces, each four hours long apart from the two-session Core and the three and a half hour Integration session. Alongside them you have mentor coaching, peer practice and your own practice work.
Coaching Core (IC-COAC), two 4-hour live sessions. All eight ICF competencies, the Code of Ethics and your baseline one-to-one.
Coaching Ethics and Boundaries (IC-CHEB), 4-hour live session. Coach ethically, and know where coaching stops.
Coaching Presence and Stance (IC-CHPS), 4-hour live session. Stay present and hold your stance as a coach.
Listening and Inquiry (IC-LSTN), 4-hour live session. Listen deeply and ask questions that open thinking.
Integration, 3.5-hour live session. Mark a coaching recording against the ICF ACC Minimum Skills, find your strengths and gaps, learn how the ICF ACC exam is assessed and build a practice plan. Opens once the three credentials are done.
A coaching conversation needs a shape. This is the question map we use to move a conversation from what the client wants, through exploring it, to actions and next steps. It is our own tool, and you practise with it across the programme.
Each credential page lists its ICA learning outcome titles.
Your Trainers: Helen Meek and John Barratt
Helen and John co-lead Coaching Skills for Impact. You learn from both of them, across the live sessions and the mentor coaching.
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ICF-PCC · Certified Enterprise Coach (CEC) · Certified Team Coach (CTC) · Accredited Kanban Trainer (AKT) · 18+ years Helen is an ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with over 18 years of experience working with individuals, teams and organisations on their road to agility. Her credentials include the Certified Enterprise Coach (CEC) and Certified Team Coach (CTC) from Scrum Alliance, and the Accredited Kanban Trainer (AKT) credential from Kanban University. What sets Helen apart is that she is not just teaching coaching theory. She is a practising professional coach who works with real clients every day, with lived experience from organisations including ASOS, Merck and Cambridge University Press, and a genuine passion for helping people discover their own coaching stance. |
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ICF-credentialed coach · CST · Certified Enterprise Coach (CEC) · Military background John is a Founding Partner and Agile Coach at Agile Affinity and a Certified Scrum Trainer (CST). He combines a military background with extensive enterprise coaching experience, and holds an ICF coaching credential. His client results include helping IAG Loyalty meet ambitious targets during COVID while reducing staff turnover, creating an internal training and coaching capability for Maersk that saves £50,000 a year in external costs, and helping Vodafone’s Secure Net product pass 20 million paid subscribers. |
Benefits of Training with Agile Affinity
 Get CertifiedEarn four ICA badges and the ICA Certified Professional: Coaching certification (ICP-COA), plus your programme certificate. |
 Save on Future CoursesReceive 20% off all future Agile Affinity certifications when you sign up for our newsletter. |
 Join the CommunityAccess the Agile Affinity Discord and Scrum Event, the largest Scrum Alliance meetup in Europe, for ongoing peer support. |
 Mentor Coach Alongside You10 hours of mentor coaching, including three one-to-one sessions, with support and community throughout your coaching career. |
Agile Affinity is a UK-based boutique agile coaching and training consultancy, established in 2019. We have trained over 1,000 practitioners and certify over 750 per year across Scrum Alliance and ICAgile® programmes and run some of the UK’s most active agile communities, including Scrum Event (the largest Scrum Alliance meetup in Europe), the Kanban Coaching Exchange, the Agile Coaching Exchange, and Agile Coach Camp UK. When you train with us, you are joining a community of practitioners, not just attending a class.
Your Investment
£2,000 + VAT | €2,400 | $2,650 USD
Your investment includes £600 worth of training (the Core Credential, the three Specialised Credentials and the Integration session), 10 hours of mentor coaching, peer practice dojos, your ICP-COA certification and the programme certificate. All ICA fees are included. Your ICF ACC application is made directly with ICF, and ICF’s own fees are paid to ICF.
Live classes are kept small: typically around 12 people, with a maximum of 20.
Register above to reserve your place for April 2027. Questions first? Email talk@agileaffinity.com or call 0330 223 4657 (calls 9am to 5pm).
Money-back guarantee: We stand by the quality of our training. If you are not fully satisfied, contact us before the end of the class for a full refund.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need any prior experience to join?
There are no formal prerequisites. The programme starts from coaching foundations.
Is there an exam?
No. There is no exam or final performance evaluation on the programme. Your five recorded practice sessions receive written feedback, and you complete the programme through your live sessions and mentor coaching. If you later apply to ICF for the ACC credential, you apply directly to ICF and take the ICF ACC exam with them.
How should I prepare?
Each live session has pre-work to complete first. Joining instructions are sent before the Core Credential, and the self-paced materials for each class are provided on registration.
When can I start, and how long does it take?
The programme launches in April 2027. From 1 April 2027 you receive the self-paced materials for each class when you register, and the live Core Credential is listed with its dates on the booking page. The best-case route from the Core to your final one-to-one is 14 weeks. Take longer on the three Specialised Credentials if you need to.
Can I take the Specialised Credentials in any order?
Yes. After the Core, take Ethics and Boundaries, Presence and Stance, and Listening and Inquiry in any order and at your own pace. The Integration session opens once all three are done.
Can I book a single credential instead of the programme?
Yes. The Core Credential and each Specialised Credential can be booked on their own. Choose from Coaching Core (IC-COAC), Ethics and Boundaries (IC-CHEB), Presence and Stance (IC-CHPS) or Listening and Inquiry (IC-LSTN). Once you have completed the three Specialised Credentials, book the Integration session.
Can I take the programme more than once?
Yes. You can take the programme more than once, and join as many group mentoring calls as you like. You can repeat the programme as many times as you like within a year from registration.
How many people will be in the class?
Live classes typically have around 12 participants, with a maximum of 20. Group mentoring runs every other Thursday, 5 to 6pm UK time, with no more than 10 people in each group.
Are the sessions recorded?
No. The live sessions are not recorded, so everyone can practise openly and take risks without a camera capturing it. The five practice sessions you record for written feedback are yours. You share them and you control them. The final assessed recording is kept on file for auditing purposes, and you can delete the others.
What software do I need?
For the live sessions you need the latest Zoom desktop application (not the web or mobile version), a stable internet connection, and a working webcam and microphone, with your camera on throughout.
What if I need to cancel or reschedule?
If your schedule changes, you can transfer your booking to a future class at no extra cost. Just let us know at least 5 working days before the class starts at talk@agileaffinity.com. If you are not fully satisfied, contact us before the end of the class for a full refund.
Can my employer pay, or can I get an invoice?
Yes. Select “Pay by Bank Transfer” at checkout and an invoice will be generated automatically. Payment must be received before joining instructions are sent. For larger corporate bookings or bespoke requirements, please contact us at talk@agileaffinity.com.
What if I have another question?
We are happy to help. Email us at talk@agileaffinity.com and we will get back to you quickly.
To pay in another currency, select your location at the top right of the website. UK-based buyers must pay in GBP.
* Best-case scenario: the fastest route through the programme. Take up to a year to complete the programme if you like.
** Agile Affinity LLP is accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) for Level 1 coaching education. A programme certificate is awarded on completion.
ICF Core Competencies and ICF Code of Ethics are the intellectual property of the International Coaching Federation. ICA is the International Certification Alliance.
ICP-COA, IC-COAC, IC-CHEB, IC-CHPS and IC-LSTN are credentials of the International Certification Alliance (ICA).
ICAgile® is a trademark of the International Consortium for Agile (ICAgile). Agile Affinity LLP is an ICAgile Transformation Member.