Mentoring opportunities open up at Assembly as staff receive coaching certificates

14 May 2013

The National Assembly for Wales has continued its commitment to staff development with ten members of staff passing Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) coaching courses.

They are now fully qualified to provide mentoring and coaching to other Assembly staff members.

“Coaching is a useful tool to unlock potential and improve performance,” said the National Assembly for Wales’s Presiding Officer, Rosemary Butler AM.

“The Assembly values coaching as a developmental tool and has invested in training staff to achieve an Institute of Leadership and Management Coaching qualification.

“Having a trained cohort of coaches will enable staff to access coaching and mentoring opportunities in the workplace and the Assembly can reap the benefits that coaching can bring.”

The successful candidates were presented with their certificates by the Presiding Officer at a small ceremony in the Senedd, watched by Marcus David from ILM and John Francis who is the Director of Business Development at the University of South Wales.

Both institutions have been involved with the development and delivery of the coaching and mentoring courses that the Assembly has been running for its staff since 2011.

Marcus David, Development Manager at the Institute of Leadership and Management said: “It’s nice to meet learners of the ILM qualification as well as working with the University of South Wales.

“Our mission is to develop knowledge and skills through coaching, improving both performance and morale.”

Mike Snook, the Assembly’s Head of Estates & Front of House and now a qualified coach, said: “I simply asked the person being coached who had been grappling with a long standing issue for some time ‘what is stopping you, what’s the worst thing that could happen?’

“This unlocked the issue and by taking some time to talk it through and think about how best to approach it, the individual went back to their desk drafted an email and met with their line manager who agreed to their request.”

Another coach, and the Assembly’s Organisational Development Manager, Rebecca Hardwicke said: “It’s very satisfying to be part of that ‘lightbulb moment’ when the person being coached realises what they need to do to break down any barriers and get ahead.”