ICF ACC-Level 1 Credentialing

Starting 1 January 2023, all International Coaching Federation (ICF) accredited training providers offering ACSTH program path towards ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credentialing will transition to ICF Level 1 program.  This is part of the on-going effort by ICF Coaching Education, which had announced an updated accreditation structure for coaching education and training programs designed to “set the highest standards for coach-specific education in the world.” 

What is the key difference between ICF Level 1 path versus the ACSTH (Approved Coach Specific Training Hours) path?

The ICF ACC-Level 1 updated path supports participants pursuing the Associate Certified Coach (ACC) Credential.  The requirements for this pathway include:

• Completion of the accredited Level 1 Program (e.g. Certified Performance Leadership Coach – CPLC Level 1 program)
• Clocked 100 coaching hours (75 hours must be paid-coaching, 25 hours can be pro-bono coaching) – no time limit
• Complete an online Credentialing Exam, administered by ICF Global
• Receive ICF ACC credential upon successful completion

The key difference lies in the Performance Evaluation.  For the ACSTH path, participants are required to submit the audio recording and transcript to ICF Global for performance evaluation.   In the Level 1 path, participants would instead submit the performance evaluation (recording and transcript) to the training provider.  Only when the participant is assessed to be competent by the training provider, will they receive the CPLC Level 1 certification.  Participants are still required to complete the 10 hours of mentor coaching with the training provider, which is offered under the CPLC program.

Participants who complete/have completed the CPLC program before 31 December 2022 will be under the ACSTH path.  The ACSTH path will continue to be recognised by ICF for ACC credentialing.  There is no expiry timeline to your ACSTH certifcate.  The ACSTH path for ACC Credentialing is shown below. 

Overall, there are 4 modules that learners would need to complete under the Certified Performance Leadership Coach (CPLC) Level 1 certification program as shown below:

Total Program = 60 hours coach-specific training, 10 hours of mentor coaching and Performance Evaluation.

• Three modules of coach-specific training (Each module consists of 2 days classroom training cum pre-course eLearning)
  1. Coaching for Performance and Capability Development (CPD) – Coaching Foundation
  2. Emotional Intelligence (EQ) for Transformational Leadership (EQT) – Transformational Coaching
  3. Team Leadership for Performance and Results (TLP) – Team Coaching
• Enhancing Coaching Capabilities through Mentor coaching
  • 10 hours of Mentor Coaching
  • Performance Evaluation (Submission of Audio Recording and Transcript)

For more information on the course outline, objectives, eligible SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) funding and schedules, please click on each module title above.

More information about the updated credential application path are available at the ICF website.

Please feel free to contact us, email: info@bpcoachtrain.com or check out our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) if you have any questions.