Accreditation and Regulation

When you book on a course you need to feel that it is legitimate and you are paying for true value for money. You will want you know if the training organisation is ‘regulated’ by federal rules or at least a governing body.

Currently, in the UK there is no federal regulatory body for coaching or NLP. This does not mean that there are absolutely no controls in place. On the face of it this sounds quite appalling but is not all ‘doom and gloom’. There are self-regulating coaching and NLP bodies and institutes in place. These have been created by coaches and NLP practitioners who have very high standards of competence and expect others to follow suit. There are number of these that are UK based and others are international in scope. (International does not mean it is any better than a UK based one).

Coaching and NLP trainers do not have to be affiliated to any of these but it is a fantastic safeguard for the trainees who know they are going to receive training of a high standard if these bodies accredit or award the course they are buying.

What is the difference between an accreditation and an award/qualification?
When a course has an accreditation it means that the training provider will supply the diploma/certificate and it is endorsed, (accredited), by an overseeing body or professional association. This is a perfectly valid way of showing that the material delivered has to meet, usually, rigorous minimum standards.

A qualification is awarded by an ‘awarding body’. These are organisations which are licensed by a national government to grant qualifications. This means they have a greater credibility and status than most accredited courses. With these courses you will usually give you two certificates – one from the course provider and the second from the awarding body.

All our NLP courses are accredited by two bodies; the NLP Association and the British Institute of Hypnotherapy and NLP. You will be able to apply for entry on their registers as a full member.

CILC is working towards the Coaching Practitioner courses being granted award status by ITOL, (the Institute of Training and Occupational Learning). This means that after you qualify you will be able to join ITOL with all the kudos that those letters after your name will create.

Therefore it is important to look at the course you are thinking of paying out for and ascertain if it is a qualification/award and if not is it accredited and overseen by a legitimate professional body.

Richard Wain, (as Cressingham Training), is a registered Educational Course Supplier.
We are members of the UK Register of Learning Providers. (Our provider number is UKPRN: 10023237)
The UK Register of Learning Providers is an official website designed to be used by government departments, other agencies, learners, and employers to share key information about learning providers across agencies such as, the Learning and Skills Council, the National Learning Directory, the Higher Education Statistics Agency, the Higher Education Funding Council for England and UCAS.

Richard Wain is also a Licentiate Fellow of the Institute of Training and Occupational Learning and a Full Member of the Institute of Learning.