In order to boost the performance of their coaching initiatives, organisations need to introduce well-thought through programmes and evaluation processes that are aligned with business strategy.
 

According to the ‘2010 Learning and Development’ survey undertaken by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), however, more than two thirds of organisations currently fail to evaluate their coaching schemes.
 
John McGurk, the CIPD’s advisor for learning and talent, said: “Without any sort of evaluation, an organisation’s coaching initiatives are left vulnerable to both financial and resourcing pressures, which could be particularly dangerous in tough economic times.”
 
As a result, the HR body plans to release a ‘Real World Coaching Evaluation’ guide at its Coaching Conference, which is due to take place on 28 September in London.
 
In news elsewhere, market research and consultancy firm for the training sector Pardo Fox released its index of the UK’s top 50 IT training companies in 2010.
 
QA ranked top with revenues of £82 million (down 15% on last year), followed by IBM training with sales of £21.1 million (down 15% on last year). Learning Tree International came in third, meanwhile, with turnover of £19.9 (down 17% on last year).
 
Howard Teale, general manager of Indicia Training, claimed the report highlighted the “surprising ability of small firms to compete with their larger counterparts” as many of the larger providers had seen sales drop, while a number of smaller ones had seen turnover and clients numbers grow.
 
“Research has shown large companies’ fees for popular courses can cost up to 20% more than their smaller counterparts. The less costly providers claim this is due to them having more flexible terms and conditions,” he said.