Shaping the future

The fourth annual Mentoring and Coaching Research Day, held jointly by the European Mentoring and Coaching Council and The Mentoring and Coaching Unit at Sheffield Hallam University, will bring together academics and professionals to discuss current and future research topics.

Organiser Dr Bob Garvey explained: "Research plays an important role in helping industry progress, so the work that will be presented and discussed at this event will have a long-term impact."

Topics to be covered at the event, set for Monday, June 14 at Sheffield Hallam University, include evaluations, diversity, matching coaches and clients and the use of the narrative in mentoring.

The EMCC's own major research project to identify common competencies required for different types of coaching and mentoring is continuing apace and early results are expected in July.

A core sample of some 40 participants, which includes professional bodies, training organisations and individual practitioners, has contributed an enormous amount of data to the project. EMCC researchers have collated it into a single "map" of all the competencies the contributors believe to be essential for the professional and effective delivery of coaching and mentoring. The next stage of the project will involve participation from the wider coaching and mentoring community.

Project leader Pauline Willis said: "The EMCC standards project is set to have a significant impact on the coaching and mentoring industry in Europe."

"It will help us to better understand the competencies that underpin coaching and mentoring and will clarify the links and differences between the different types of practice on offer. This in turn will go a long way to resolving the debate over definitions of these activities and support benchmarking and the creation of best practice guidelines for the European coaching and mentoring community."

Pauline added: "The continued support and enthusiasm for this project from organisations and practitioners who have participated throughout the past year has ensured the success of the project, and has been key in achieving this significant contribution to the future of the industry."