UBC Coaching Services and UBC Extended Learning celebrate a 10-year organizational coaching milestone

UBC Coaching Services celebrates its organizational coaching success and long-standing educational partnership with UBC Extended Learning. 

On October 24, a celebration event was held to recognize the 60+ Organizational Coaches that provide professional coaching solutions across UBC — an achievement that was made possible when UBC launched the Certificate in Organizational Coaching 10 years ago. 

20 years ago, UBC invested in coaching as a catalyst for leadership development, employee engagement and creating high-valued workplace experiences. Over the past two decades, UBC Coaching Services has committed to growing and onboarding an active and diverse network of internal and external coaches, professionally trained and certified to provide individual, group and team coaching solutions for faculty and staff.  

12 years ago, Coaching Services and Extended Learning realized that together they could co-invest, develop and deliver an 8-month, 160-hour cohort-based Organizational Coaching program accredited by both UBC Senate and the International Coaching Federation (ICF), and become the first university-based organizational coaching program of its kind in Canada. In 2018, UBC received international recognition for building and demonstrating a strong coaching culture through high impact coaching solutions and educational offerings. 

This year, Coaching Services is proud to celebrate the 60+ UBC faculty and staff that have graduated as Certified Organizational Coaches and are providing coaching services back to the university. The first cohort of the Certificate in Organizational Coaching program kicked off in 2013 with 12 learners enrolled, 5 of which were UBC employees. And now, 10 years later, Extended Learning delivers two cohorts per year with capacity for 96 learners and UBC faculty and staff are always enrolled! This intentional and visionary business plan means UBC benefits from an exceptionally talented and highly trained community of coaches that are aligned and committed to UBCs values and teaching, learning and research priorities.  

Today, UBC Coaches trained by Extended Learning and different coach training programs, provide coaching to new Department Heads, Associate Deans, Directors and those in related academic leadership roles as part of the Academic Leadership Development Program, new managers through the new Developing Leaders Program and to non-tenured early-career researchers/faculty members as part of the Maximizing Impact Program. In addition, each year UBC Coaches commit to partnering with a minimum of two UBC staff or faculty, offering up to six coaching sessions per engagement at no cost to the individual. The in-house UBC Coaching Portal enables faculty and staff to find a coach to partner on their career, leadership, health and wellbeing, conflict or change goals.  

As a result of coaching, faculty and staff set better goals, take more action, make better decisions, and maximize the potential of their natural strengths, ultimately contributing to UBC’s employee experience and success. Coaching Services would like to recognize all the UBC Coaches that graduated from the Certificate in Organizational Coaching program as valuable partners for UBC faculty and staff in helping them unlock their potential, grow their careers and cultivate their leadership competencies.  

Coaching Internship Program

Are you a UBC faculty or staff seeking certification as a professional coach and want to apply your new coaching skills and knowledge working with UBC faculty and staff? 

Find out more about the Coaching Internship Program at the upcoming information session, and apply by December 10.