WABC Accredited signifies that your offering is among the world’s most elite and rigorous business coaching training programs.
Our fourth level of program accreditation is for programs that explore and consolidate the development of elite business coaches enabling them to demonstrate their significant impact and influence with their senior expertise, specialized knowledge and professional competence to take on the most challenging business coaching engagements.
The WABC Accredited global mark is a program accreditation distinction that ensures you’re offering the most comprehensive and robust business coaching training available in the world.
Level 4 programs explore and consolidate the development of elite business coaches who represent the highest level of professional practice and who will also represent many professional roles (e.g., leader, manager, internal or external business coach, external consultant). Such programs provide an in-depth process that facilitates an intensive examination based on advanced robust methodologies to enable their participants to demonstrate their senior expertise at in operating at this level.
When you successfully complete the WABC program accreditation process, your program receives the prestigious WABC Accredited (Level 4 – ChBC) mark.
Your participation in our rigorous program accreditation process engages you in a continuous lifecycle—from initial accreditation to annual monitoring to re-accreditation every five years to ensure you deliver the highest, most relevant training to business coaches today and tomorrow.
Level 4 programs develop elite business coaches and must be delivered at a professional level of engagement and must meet our professional standards and rigorous assessment process.
WABC Accredited is only available to training programs that offer business coaching as the main focus of their curriculum. This means over 75% of the learning hours within the program must be focused on the practice, theory and/or research of business coaching.
Even if your program is brand new, or requires significant changes to meet WABC’s standards, you may still be eligible to register in our WABC program accreditation process.
Every applicant program must:
The WABC Accredited mark means:
WABC Accredited is a testament to the excellence of your program and sets you apart from other training providers. Participants know that WABC prepares them for the practical challenges of business coaching in organizational and business-specific settings.
Because it is based on best practice for both business coaching and program accreditation processes, WABC Accredited broadcasts your program meets the highest global standards and is specifically tailored to business coaching, not coaching in general.
Whether your training is available to the open market or to employees within your organization, effective business coaching training can transform how people perform their role, no matter their career stage or level of seniority.
With four levels of accreditation to suit your needs, you’ll be able to build a relevant program that brings out the best in your participants.
WABC Accredited applications are evaluated by fully qualified, independent assessors. They assess the competencies your program addresses and the quality systems it adheres to, ensuring your training meets WABC’s robust criteria.
Our transparent program accreditation process also offers providers access to fully qualified, independent advisers who provide personalized advisory support and feedback designed to make you think more critically, creatively and strategically about your program offer.
Earning WABC Accredited for your program means your graduates are eligible to receive their own individual WABC credential, a distinction available to graduates of WABC Accredited programs.
WABC credentials signal that your graduates are equipped with the evidence-based knowledge and skills to solve real-world organizational challenges and deliver excellence in business coaching.
Carrying the WABC Accredited distinction means you get to build your program’s brand with the support of a global organization committed to excellence.
You will gain the right to leverage the WABC Accredited brand in your marketing, program and training materials. You will also have access to exclusive opportunities with WABC to build your thought leadership profile, promote your services and access a global community of business coaches and clients.
The WABC program accreditation process includes demonstrating the success of your program’s standards, approaches and learning models.
By sharing this information with WABC, you build the global body of knowledge about business coaching as an evolving, innovative practice.
Your program accreditation shapes business coaching practice, development and self-regulation around the world, to create even greater efficacy and impacts.
The program accreditation process leading to the WABC Accredited mark enables you to learn an enormous amount about effective business coaching, as your curriculum is measured against WABC’s expansive, detailed knowledge base.
Fine-tune your program for success with helpful, personalized feedback during the accreditation process, so you can offer best-in-class training built on research-informed standards and best practice in business coaching and training alike.
Earning WABC Accredited for your program also means your program participants and graduates can also enjoy being part of WABC’s membership community, where they can expand their thinking with access to cutting edge knowledge and build their professional network with like-minded colleagues across the globe.
Whether you are a business coach trainer, a coaching organization, or an institution solidifying your existing offering, building a new program or looking to offer your participants a premium business coaching training experience, WABC Accredited distinguishes you apart from the competition.
Having your program WABC Accredited® means that your graduates are eligible to receive their own individual credential from WABC. This is an exceptional professional development opportunity that will help raise your value as a trainer.
Gain credibility that demonstrates your training is rooted in research-informed best practice. Align your program with a globally recognized distinction, and equip yourself with the confidence of knowledge and expertise from an established association, backed by research.
Align with the global standard for standards, skills and competencies that ensures continued business coaching success. Build your reputation with a specialized program accreditation, designed for business coaches, leaders, managers, directors and teams practicing in business and organizational applications.
Signify that your program is rooted in evidence-informed best practice and robust research, and incorporate thinking from adjacent disciplines, such as neuroscience and psychology, to complement your programs.
Offering a WABC Accredited internal training program builds an engine of business coaches, leaders and other employees that are dedicated to the continued success of your people, your strategies and your performance as an organization.
By supporting your leaders, managers, directors and teams with the knowledge and skills to better identify opportunities, unblock challenges, and work together towards shared objectives and priorities, there’s no limit to how far your organization can go.
Having your program WABC Accredited means that your leaders and employees are able to access high-quality training from you and receive their own individual credential from WABC. Taken together, this is an exceptional professional development opportunity that will help raise your value as an employer.
Clarify your leadership purpose and vision, and engage employees more effectively in achieving your priorities. Establish strategic destinations that strengthen your organization’s alignment and integrate diverse stakeholder and market requirements. Build trust and loyalty with teams and clients more quickly by improving your relationship building and persuasive skills.
Guide your team with clarity and communicate strategic intent to create clearer project asks. Build more trusted relationships with colleagues and reports alike, built on sound advice and authentic leadership. Develop strategic roadmaps and benchmarks that address challenges realistically, to ensure your team can reach them.
Foster a positive work environment that outlines clear expectations and drives more focused mindsets. Build a culture of support, respect and collaboration that is aligned with your core values, expertise and business objectives. Unify teams with diverse perspectives and attract and retain top performers. Operate with integrity and discretion to drive trust across your organization.
Fully engage team members to drive top performance and innovation. Improve each individual’s level of confidence, emotional intelligence and communication skills to motivate collaboration and accountability. Equip your teams with the empathy skills needed to build relationships with diverse stakeholders across the organization.
Build customer experiences that are distinct and increase loyalty and reputation in the market. Enhance your service by building a culture focused on active listening, effective communication and customer satisfaction.
When you successfully complete the WABC program accreditation process, a value-added benefit is that graduates of your program are eligible to receive their own Chartered Business Coach® (ChBC®) credential.
ChBC is an evidence-based WABC credential held by professionals around the world. As a highly coveted, world-class distinction, ChBC positions your graduates as being among the best of the best in the business coaching profession worldwide. ChBC demonstrates their significant impact and influence with their senior expertise, specialized knowledge and professional competence to take on the most challenging business coaching engagements.
To earn ChBC, your graduates must:
To maintain ChBC, your graduates must:
Once you are enrolled in our program accreditation process, we’ll further discuss the joining procedures for both your participants (some will prefer to join WABC during your program) and your graduates (some will prefer to join WABC once they have completed your program).
Accreditation is a voluntary process by which a nongovernmental body publicly recognizes an institution or program that has successfully met predetermined qualifications through initial and follow-up evaluations.
WABC offers program accreditation that recognizes four levels of business coaching programs. WABC does not offer institutional accreditation.
It is the most rigorous level of qualification available to programs by an external accreditor. Program accreditation processes that follow industry best practice ensure their accredited programs require validation, carry re-accreditation requirements and are subject to revocation. WABC Accredited adheres to these best practices.
In the world today, no appropriate oversight body exists to accredit or oversee professional bodies engaged in the accreditation of professional training and education that are outside government-regulated higher education institutions.
While opinions abound as to the merits of such oversight regulators, their chief contributions include providing guidelines and principles around best practice to combat accreditation mills, substandard or no academic and quality assurance, and other fraudulent market activity.
With this in mind, WABC continuously monitors leading accreditation bodies in various established professional fields around the world to ensure its own practices are aligned with the very best and relevant in the marketplace today.
WABC program accreditation focuses solely on programs dedicated to developing professional business coaches, not for programs that offer coaching as one part of the curriculum. This focus makes it different from accreditations offered by other bodies.
Your program may still be eligible for WABC accreditation if it focuses on training business coaching practices.
The best time to register in our program accreditation process is as early as possible when creating your new program.
If your program is eligible for our process, working with WABC while you’re planning or developing your program enables you to leverage WABC’s rich program accreditation resources to guide your program development.
Here are some key points to keep in mind:
WABC’s initial program accreditation process has been designed so you can create your own timeline based on your particular needs.
Factors influencing your timeline may include:
Given WABC’s considered experience in offering this service, we offer program providers a generous amount of time to complete the initial process based on the level of program accreditation they are seeking.
Your own timeline depends on your needs. For example, if you already have an existing program that does not require significant adjustments to meet our standards and fully engage in our process, you can expect to complete the initial process in 2–3 months.
Our years of experience have shown us that careful and considered planning is essential. Accordingly, during the first stage in our process, you will create your personalized timeline, including target dates, to ensure a positive accreditation process experience.
Yes, although you must plan to provide all your reporting requirements and an ongoing working relationship with WABC in English, as WABC and all program accreditation team members operate using English.
If you don’t speak English, please plan accordingly. You must have one member of your team who has an English language qualification and can easily communicate with your adviser in English. Your submission must also be in English.
Your program accreditation has specific guidance on how to list your program, including a logo and wording that you are required to use on all related materials. Please log in to your dashboard for further guidance.
For your graduates to receive their credential, they must:
There is a specific time period within which your graduates must join WABC to receive their credential. The time period depends on the level of your program’s accreditation.
WABC does not require WABC-conducted examinations for program graduates to gain their own credentials. We intentionally set up the program accreditation requirements so that WABC Accredited program providers must provide the final assessment.
This approach provides an appropriate level of independence between the program providers and WABC, so that WABC has no undue influence on graduate assessment decisions.
Our rigorous program accreditation process ensures that the provider’s assessment is appropriate, and our annual monitoring safeguards the provider’s training provision over the accreditation lifecycle.
Once your program successfully passes the initial accreditation process, the independent Assessment Event Report will include the date from which participants graduating from your program are eligible to earn their individual credential at the appropriate level.
Level 1
RCC |
Level 2
CBC |
Level 3
CMBC |
Level 4
ChBC |
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Level of Program Accreditation | Level of Program Accreditation | Level of Program Accreditation | Level of Program Accreditation |
Level 1 programs develop practitioner business coaches. Such programs focus on the practical elements of business coaching for participants with limited previous experience in formal focused coaching skills training, or with some experience that they wish to consolidate fully with best practice. In this context, practice is the application of technical skills within common scenarios while working with clients on their skills and competencies. When you successfully complete the WABC program accreditation process, your program receives the prestigious WABC Accredited (Level 1 – RCC) mark. | Level 2 programs develop the full professional scope of advanced business coaches who will represent many professional roles (e.g., leader, manager, internal or external business coach, external consultant). Such programs will consolidate technical skills but also encourage the development of a sound theoretical underpinning to practice and the ability to work to more diverse agendas. When you successfully complete the WABC program accreditation process, your program receives the prestigious WABC Accredited (Level 2 – CBC) mark. | Level 3 programs develop master coaches who will represent many professional roles (e.g., leader, manager, internal or external business coach, external consultant). Such programs fully explore current approaches, methodologies and theories underpinning the work of business coaches, drawing on the literature from business coaching as well as related disciplines. Critical engagement with research and the design of self directed inquiry is also a hallmark of this level. When you successfully complete the WABC program accreditation process, your program receives the prestigious WABC Accredited (Level 3 – CMBC) mark. | Level 4 programs explore and consolidate the development of elite business coaches who will represent many professional roles (e.g., leader, manager, internal or external business coach, external consultant). Such programs provide an in-depth process that facilitates an intensive examination based on advanced robust methodologies to enable their participants to demonstrate their senior expertise at the highest level of professional practice. When you successfully complete the WABC program accreditation process, your program receives the prestigious WABC Accredited (Level 4 – ChBC) mark. |
Eligible Candidate Programs | Eligible Candidate Programs | Eligible Candidate Programs | Eligible Candidate Programs |
WABC Accredited is only available to training programs (external programs with an open recruitment policy or internal programs where participants are drawn only from within a specific organization) that offer business coaching as the main focus of their curriculum. This means over 75% of the learning hours within the program must be focused on the practice, theory and/or research of business coaching. | WABC Accredited is only available to training programs (external programs with an open recruitment policy or internal programs where participants are drawn only from within a specific organization) that offer business coaching as the main focus of their curriculum. This means over 75% of the learning hours within the program must be focused on the practice, theory and/or research of business coaching. | WABC Accredited is only available to training programs (external programs with an open recruitment policy or internal programs where participants are drawn only from within a specific organization) that offer business coaching as the main focus of their curriculum. This means over 75% of the learning hours within the program must be focused on the practice, theory and/or research of business coaching. | WABC Accredited is only available to training programs (external programs with an open recruitment policy or internal programs where participants are drawn only from within a specific organization) that offer business coaching as the main focus of their curriculum. This means over 75% of the learning hours within the program must be focused on the practice, theory and/or research of business coaching. |
WABC Competencies Expected | WABC Competencies Expected | WABC Competencies Expected | WABC Competencies Expected |
All areas from: Appropriate areas from: | All areas from: Appropriate areas from: | All areas from: Appropriate areas from: | All areas from: Appropriate areas from: |
Program Duration & Hours (approx.) | Program Duration & Hours (approx.) | Program Duration & Hours (approx.) | Program Duration & Hours (approx.) |
DURATION
1.5-3 months HOURS Up to 75 to 150 total learning hours |
DURATION
4.5-9 months HOURS Up to 300-600 total learning hours |
DURATION
12-24 months HOURS Up to 1200-1800 total learning hours |
DURATION
3-12 months HOURS Up to 900 total learning hours |
Program Options Available | Program Options Available | Program Options Available | Program Options Available |
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Program Modes Available | Program Modes Available | Program Modes Available | Program Modes Available |
All modes are welcome and determined by provider (e.g. in-person, virtual, blended) | All modes are welcome and determined by provider (e.g. in-person, virtual, blended) | All modes are welcome and determined by provider (e.g. in-person, virtual, blended) | All modes are welcome and determined by provider (e.g. in-person, virtual, blended) |
Program Supervision | Program Supervision | Program Supervision | Program Supervision |
Must provide appropriate supervision | Must provide appropriate supervision | Must provide appropriate supervision | Must provide appropriate supervision |
Program Participant Assessment | Program Participant Assessment | Program Participant Assessment | Program Participant Assessment |
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Program Faculty Size and Requirements | Program Faculty Size and Requirements | Program Faculty Size and Requirements | Program Faculty Size and Requirements |
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Program Assessment Board | Program Assessment Board | Program Assessment Board | Program Assessment Board |
Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Final assessments of participants must be carried out by a minimum of three external assessors (such as an Assessment Board). The assessors’ qualifications are the same as those noted above for Faculty. |
Program Maintenance and Re-accreditation Requirements | Program Maintenance and Re-accreditation Requirements | Program Maintenance and Re-accreditation Requirements | Program Maintenance and Re-accreditation Requirements |
Participate in all program accreditation lifecycle activities including:
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Participate in all program accreditation lifecycle activities including:
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Participate in all program accreditation lifecycle activities including:
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Participate in all program accreditation lifecycle activities including:
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WABC Standards | WABC Standards | WABC Standards | WABC Standards |
Legal | Legal | Legal | Legal |
WABC reserves all rights in connection with the WABC Accredited (Level 1 – RCC) mark, including the right to change the requirements of the WABC Accredited (Level 1 – RCC) mark, and to replace the WABC Accredited (Level 1 – RCC) mark. | WABC reserves all rights in connection with the WABC Accredited (Level 2 – CBC) mark, including the right to change the requirements of the WABC Accredited (Level 2 – CBC) mark, and to replace the WABC Accredited (Level 2 – CBC) mark. | WABC reserves all rights in connection with the WABC Accredited (Level 3 – CMBC) mark, including the right to change the requirements of the WABC Accredited (Level 3 – CMBC) mark, and to replace the WABC Accredited (Level 3 – CMBC) mark. | WABC reserves all rights in connection with the WABC Accredited (Level 4 – ChBC) mark, including the right to change the requirements of the WABC Accredited (Level 4 – ChBC) mark, and to replace the WABC Accredited (Level 4 – ChBC) mark. |
PeopleDynamics Learning Group specializes in developing leaders and those who support leaders in an organizational context. With over two decades of experience in training and developing coaches, WABC was the obvious accreditation partner for our Business Coaching Advantage Program™.
We committed to creating a program with quality and depth, but compact enough that busy leaders can gain proficiency and their Registered Corporate Coach™ (RCC™) credential in a four- to six-month period. Working with WABC’s high standards helped us become clearer about the program’s intentions, and be very concrete about the mindset and skill-set shifts participants can make by completing our program.
In 2013, we were proud to be the first Canadian company to gain the WABC Accredited (Level 1 – RCC)® credential for our program. Our program achieved another significant milestone through achieving re-accreditation with WABC. We are grateful for the support that we received from WABC throughout both the accreditation and re-accreditation processes.
As a pioneer in business coaching in Asia since 2002, Progress-U has developed professional coaches since 2005. Having two programs accredited by WABC allows us to give new, aspiring coaches to understand what it means to be a business coach through the WABC Accredited (Level 1 – RCC)® program or to go for a more extensive route by directly enrolling in the WABC Accredited (Level 2 – CBC)® program.
Going through the rigorous WABC accreditation processes for our two programs has helped us create one of the most comprehensive and demanding professional business coach training curriculums in Asia today.
We chose to work with WABC because of its focus on business coaching and its more rigorous and sound approach to accreditation compared with other major coach certification bodies. The continuous support of the adviser assigned to us was very helpful in giving us a deeper understanding of WABC’s requirements for each level.
The highest quality of WABC Accredited® programs meant that in 2011, Progress-U launched the Asia Innovative Coaching Institute (AICI) to focus its professional business coach development activities and ensure continued training excellence in various locations, including Hong Kong, Mumbai, Shanghai and Singapore.
Our affiliation with WABC began in 2009 when building a coaching culture at a Fortune 100 company. We partnered with WABC due to the strict adherence to standards for evidence-based competencies, strong academic affiliation, and willingness of leadership to engage with clients. While we chose WABC because of its focus on business coaching, what we also discovered in the program accreditation process was WABC’s passion for coaching and commitment to coaching excellence.
When it was time for our own organization, the Global Institute of Organizational Coaching, to create its own line-up of business coaching programs, we just knew they needed to be accredited by WABC.
As with all programs that WABC accredits, evidence-based competencies are the foundation to program design. Philosophically, the Global IOC believes that we must bridge scholarship to practice and back to scholarship in developing coaches who move beyond models and processes to become thinking partners for clients. WABC guides that bridging through its accreditation process and academic affiliations. With its pulse on global connections and needs, WABC also creates opportunities for development that integrates cultures and communities at an international level.
If your desire is to build a first-class coach training program, WABC is the organization for you.
We needed to shift our company’s culture towards a more collaborative, coaching environment. The primary driver for this shift is a vastly changing workforce. Within five years, our workforce will require a new level of leader engagement and to find even greater efficiencies. These realities made the case to build effective, relational leaders using business coaching.
We wanted to create an in-house business coaching program that would align our leader development with our values, business needs and priorities. By leveraging the deep coaching expertise already on our team, we asked Trish Candler, a WABC credentialed coach, to lead and develop our new program. Her first-hand knowledge of our business priorities informed her recommendation that our program become accredited by WABC, the leading global authority on business coaching.
Through the WABC program accreditation process, what we discovered was a new approach for envisioning business coaching in the company. The WABC Program Accreditation Team provided ongoing encouragement and supportive guidance. Their passion for ensuring we understood all aspects of the accreditation requirements and process and their responsiveness to our questions and feedback inspired diligence and perspective in our content development. WABC’s global evidence-based standards, rooted in the real-world needs of organizations just like ours, provided a broad and deep competencies framework and quality assurance that seamlessly aligned with our needs and priorities.
Achieving the WABC Accredited® mark for our program has brought more value than we could have imagined, and we are already reaping the benefits of our program. We’re experiencing a more focused, disciplined and consistent business coaching approach. Our leaders now enjoy increased opportunities within our company to learn business coaching and gain their Registered Corporate Coach credentials, demonstrating greater capacity to meet client needs and expanding their roles with cross-functional coaching opportunities, minimizing organizational silos. Additionally, our leaders are expanding their thinking with enhanced curiosity, leading to greater innovation, accountability and impact.
Our company is proud to have learned so much from the depth of knowledge and commitment exuded by WABC. With our accreditation, we will continue to support our leaders’ development goals with a flexible yet solid framework that drives our workforce today and into the future.
Weplusnetwork Ltd is an Italian association of executive consultants and coaches, experts in developing leaders, managers and other talented professionals within organizations. We have solid experience in designing and delivering business coach training programs, and many of our faculty trainers hold WABC credentials and memberships.
With companies’ growing interest in reinforcing coaching competencies for managers, HR professionals and entrepreneurs, we designed a short but intensive program for senior professionals and managers interested in gaining a better understanding of how business coaching can improve effectiveness within their organizations.
We have operated as a Business Coaching Training School since 2013, and received the WABC Accredited (Level 1 – RCC)® credential in 2015. WABC recognition has been a distinctive mark for our training offers, and our alumni have enjoyed being part of an international cohort that acknowledges WABC evidence-based competencies and professional standards for business coaching.
Many HR professionals and managers of large, multinational or Italian companies have chosen our school because we could offer a credentialing path with special attention to organizational and business needs for people development paths.
In 2020 we successfully achieved the “re-accreditation” of our Business Coaching Lab program. We also plan to additionally pursue the WABC Accredited (Level 2 – CBC)® distinction in 2021. This choice is not rooted only in market issues, but also in the “professional growth” that WABC can offer to WABC Accredited® programs. The WABC re-accreditation process allowed us to systematize and enrich training content offered to delegates, and to confer with senior WABC Accredited® advisers during the process. WABC proves very helpful to keep our programs up to date, distinctive and reinforced with global best practices.
We can attest to the value WABC provides for both training participants and training providers.
WABC’s clear focus on business coaching is the reason why we decided to choose them as our accreditor for our Shift Corporate Coach Program. Our clients are business leaders, corporate coaches and HR professionals who appreciate the merit and significant credibility that the WABC Accredited® mark brings to our program. Our clients value the extremely high standards WABC sets to ensure that our program is top notch. WABC’s founder, Wendy Johnson, and the WABC Program Accreditation Team have continually supported us as we grow. Their guidance and support have been invaluable and exceeded all expectations.
WABC Accredited® ensures you’re offering the most comprehensive and robust business coaching training available in the world.
We’re excited to hear from you and explore next steps.
If Level 4 isn’t the right fit for your program, we have more levels that may be.