Coaching skills for the workplace — City & Guilds Limited Other Vocational Qualification Employability & Work Skills Revision

    Coaching skills in the workplace involve structured, person-centred conversations that empower individuals to unlock their potential, solve their own chall

    Topic Synopsis

    Coaching skills in the workplace involve structured, person-centred conversations that empower individuals to unlock their potential, solve their own challenges, and enhance performance. For the coach, coachee, and wider stakeholders, coaching delivers tangible benefits such as increased motivation, improved productivity, and stronger working relationships. This unit equips learners with the ability to apply core coaching models and techniques in real-world professional contexts.

    Key Concepts & Core Principles

    Exam Tips & Revision Strategies

    Common Misconceptions & Mistakes to Avoid

    Examiner Marking Points

    Coaching skills for the workplace

    CITY & GUILDS LIMITED
    vocational

    Coaching skills in the workplace involve structured, person-centred conversations that empower individuals to unlock their potential, solve their own challenges, and enhance performance. For the coach, coachee, and wider stakeholders, coaching delivers tangible benefits such as increased motivation, improved productivity, and stronger working relationships. This unit equips learners with the ability to apply core coaching models and techniques in real-world professional contexts.

    7
    Learning Outcomes
    13
    Assessment Guidance
    14
    Key Skills
    6
    Key Terms
    14
    Assessment Criteria

    Assessment criteria

    City & Guilds Level 2 Award in Employment and Personal Learning at Work
    City & Guilds Level 2 Extended Award in Personal Learning at Work
    City & Guilds Level 2 Certificate in Employment and Personal Learning at Work

    Topic Overview

    The City & Guilds Level 2 Award in Employment and Personal Learning at Work is designed to help you develop the essential skills needed to succeed in the workplace and in further learning. This qualification focuses on building your employability skills, such as communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and self-management, while also supporting your personal development through reflective learning. It is ideal for students who are preparing for employment, an apprenticeship, or further study, as it provides a solid foundation in the key competencies that employers value.

    The course covers three main areas: understanding your own skills and strengths, working effectively with others, and managing your learning and development. You will learn how to set personal goals, review your progress, and adapt to different work environments. The qualification is assessed through a portfolio of evidence, which includes practical tasks, reflective accounts, and witness statements from your workplace or learning setting. This hands-on approach ensures that you can apply what you learn directly to real-world situations.

    This award is part of the wider Employability & Work Skills suite, which includes qualifications at different levels. It is particularly relevant for students who are new to the workplace or who want to improve their career prospects. By completing this award, you will demonstrate to employers that you are motivated, self-aware, and capable of taking responsibility for your own learning and development. It also prepares you for progression to higher-level qualifications, such as the Level 3 Award in Employment and Personal Learning at Work.

    Key Concepts

    Core ideas you must understand for this topic

    • →Self-assessment and reflection: Regularly evaluating your own skills, strengths, and areas for improvement using tools like SWOT analysis or learning journals.
    • →Goal setting and action planning: Creating SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals and developing step-by-step plans to achieve them.
    • →Effective communication: Using verbal, non-verbal, and written communication skills appropriately in different workplace contexts, including active listening and giving constructive feedback.
    • →Teamwork and collaboration: Understanding group dynamics, contributing to team objectives, and resolving conflicts constructively.
    • →Personal development planning: Identifying learning opportunities, seeking feedback, and documenting progress in a portfolio.

    Learning Objectives

    What you need to know and understand

    • Know the value of coaching to the coach, coachee and stakeholder, Understand what characteristics and skills are required to be a coach and coachee, Be able to coach
    • Know the value of coaching to the coach, coachee and stakeholder, Understand what characteristics and skills are required to be a coach and coachee, Be able to coach
    • Explain the value of coaching for the coach, coachee, and wider stakeholders
    • Identify the key characteristics and skills required for both coach and coachee roles
    • Demonstrate a structured coaching conversation using a recognised model
    • Apply active listening and powerful questioning to facilitate coachee insight
    • Evaluate the effectiveness of a coaching interaction and identify improvements

    Assessment Criteria

    Key criteria assessors look for in your portfolio

    • Award credit for demonstrating a clear coaching structure (e.g., GROW model) that progresses logically from goal-setting through to agreed actions.
    • Credit appropriate use of open-ended questioning to encourage the coachee’s self-reflection and ownership of solutions.
    • Evidence of active listening skills must be present, including paraphrasing, summarising, and acknowledging the coachee’s emotions and perspectives.
    • The coach must establish and maintain a supportive, non-judgmental environment that fosters trust and psychological safety.
    • Award credit for effective goal-setting that is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART), co-created with the coachee.
    • Award credit for clearly articulating at least two distinct benefits of coaching for each party (coach, coachee, and stakeholder), supported by workplace examples.
    • Evidence demonstrates understanding of key coaching characteristics such as empathy, patience, and confidentiality, and skills like active listening, powerful questioning, and goal setting.
    • When coaching, the learner accurately applies a recognised coaching model (e.g., GROW) and adapts their approach based on the coachee's needs and feedback.
    • Coaching sessions are structured with clear objectives, appropriate questioning, and a summary of agreed actions, as evidenced in reflective logs or observation.
    • Award credit for clearly stating at least two distinct benefits of coaching for each stakeholder group (coach, coachee, organisation)
    • Credit for accurately listing at least three essential characteristics of an effective coach, such as empathy, active listening, and non-judgemental attitude
    • Assessors should look for a coaching session that follows a clear structure (e.g., GROW model) with defined stages
    • Award marks for demonstrating open questioning techniques that encourage coachee reflection and ownership
    • Credit for providing a reflective evaluation that identifies strengths and areas for development in own coaching practice

    Assessment Guidance

    Guidance for achieving higher grades

    • 💡Structure every coaching session using a recognised framework such as GROW or OSCAR to ensure all key stages are covered methodically.
    • 💡Use reflective statements and powerful questions to keep the focus on the coachee; always check your own tendency to offer solutions.
    • 💡Record (with permission) or carefully document your coaching practice sessions; this evidence is critical for assessment and for your own reflective learning.
    • 💡Before the assessment, review the City & Guilds Centre Guidance for this unit to understand exactly which behaviours and outcomes carry the most marks.
    • 💡In written tasks, use specific coaching models and relate them to workplace scenarios to demonstrate depth of understanding.
    • 💡During practical coaching, maintain a coaching log that captures session aims, questions used, and coachee responses to evidence your reflective practice.
    • 💡Prepare to discuss the impact of coaching on personal performance and that of others, linking to theories of motivation and learning.
    • 💡When completing assignments, reference industry standards or organisational policies that support coaching, such as continuous professional development (CPD) frameworks.
    • 💡When explaining coaching value, use specific workplace examples to illustrate tangible benefits for each stakeholder
    • 💡For practical assessments, adhere to a recognised coaching framework such as GROW or OSCAR to structure your session
    • 💡Always include a reflective statement after a coaching practice, analysing what worked well and what you would do differently
    • 💡Prepare open-ended questions in advance and adapt them during the session to keep the conversation coachee-led
    • 💡Link your coaching skills to professional standards or codes of practice where relevant to show deeper understanding
    • 💡Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) when writing reflective accounts. This structure helps you provide clear, concise evidence that directly addresses the assessment criteria. For example, describe a specific situation where you worked in a team, explain your role, detail the actions you took, and highlight the positive outcome.
    • 💡Keep a learning log or diary throughout the course. Note down key experiences, challenges, and what you learned from them. This will make it much easier to write your portfolio at the end, as you won't have to rely on memory alone.
    • 💡Seek feedback from your tutor, workplace supervisor, or peers regularly. Use their comments to improve your work and include evidence of how you have acted on feedback. This shows that you are reflective and committed to personal development.

    Common Mistakes

    Common errors to avoid in your coursework

    • Confusing coaching with mentoring or advice-giving; learners often slip into telling the coachee what to do rather than facilitating their own thinking.
    • Failing to contract the coaching relationship upfront, leading to unclear expectations about confidentiality, frequency, and boundaries.
    • Asking closed or leading questions that limit the coachee’s exploration and self-discovery.
    • Dominating the conversation instead of allowing silence and reflection space for the coachee to think.
    • Setting goals that are too vague or unrealistic, making it difficult to measure progress or hold the coachee accountable.
    • Confusing coaching with mentoring or instructing, leading to a directive rather than facilitative approach.
    • Overlooking the importance of building trust and rapport before diving into problem-solving.
    • Failing to tailor questioning techniques to the coachee's communication style, resulting in disengagement.
    • Neglecting to document or reflect on coaching sessions, which undermines evidence of competence.
    • Confusing coaching with mentoring or counselling, leading to directive rather than facilitative approach
    • Focusing solely on coachee benefits while ignoring organisational or coach development value
    • Relying on closed questions that limit the coachee’s thinking and do not promote self-discovery
    • Failing to establish clear action plans or follow-up commitments at the end of the coaching session
    • Neglecting to consider personal barriers or resistance from the coachee
    • Misconception: 'Employability skills are just common sense, so I don't need to study them.' Correction: While some skills may seem intuitive, this qualification requires you to evidence them systematically. You need to understand theories like Kolb's learning cycle and apply them to your own experiences to achieve the learning outcomes.
    • Misconception: 'The portfolio is just a collection of certificates and worksheets.' Correction: Your portfolio must include reflective accounts that show how you have applied skills in real situations. Simply gathering documents is not enough; you need to analyse your experiences and demonstrate learning.
    • Misconception: 'I can complete the award quickly without much effort.' Correction: The qualification requires sustained engagement over time. You need to gather evidence from multiple sources, including witness testimonies, and show progression in your skills. Rushing leads to weak evidence and potential failure.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Common questions students ask about this topic

    Before You Start

    Prior knowledge that will help with this topic

    • •Basic literacy and numeracy skills (equivalent to Level 1 English and maths) are recommended to complete written tasks and understand course materials.
    • •A willingness to engage in work experience or a placement is beneficial, as the qualification requires evidence from real workplace activities.
    • •No formal qualifications are required, but students should have a positive attitude towards learning and self-development.

    Key Terminology

    Essential terms to know

    • Know the value of coaching to the coach, coachee and stakeholder, Understand what characteristics and skills are required to be a coach and coachee, Be able to coach
    • Know the value of coaching to the coach, coachee and stakeholder, Understand what characteristics and skills are required to be a coach and coachee, Be able to coach
    • Stakeholder value in coaching
    • Coach and coachee attributes
    • Practical coaching techniques
    • Effective communication

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