Explained: The Different ICF Levels of Accreditation and CCE Courses

With different types of coaching courses and their accreditations, it could be tricky to understand all of them at once. Therefore, in this blog, we have simplified the explanations, so you can understand the difference between the courses and ICF levels of accreditations while moving ahead with an informed decision for the professional coaching career stage.

Since we are talking about the coaching profession, terms like accreditation, certification or qualification, and credentialing would be frequently referred to. Often considered alike, these terms greatly vary from each other. Hence, the first thing here is to highlight the differences between certification, accreditation, and credentialing.

Accreditation is the process of recognition from a professional coaching organization, mainly the ICF. This organization evaluates coach training courses against high standards, competencies, and ethical frameworks. When ascertaining coaching courses, it is recommended to consider this accreditation as a symbol of reliability in the coaching industry.

A coach obtains certification or qualification after finishing accredited training. Taking into account the ICF’s strict standards and ethics, this certification is extremely reputable, certifying you as a qualified/certified coach who has completed an ICF-accredited training program (level 1, 2, or 3).

To be clear, you receive this certification from the institution where you received your coach training; you are not credentialed or accredited by the ICF.

If you want to get a specialized credential from a professional coaching organization like the ICF, you can do so after obtaining qualification by meeting additional experience-based requirements.

Now the question is- what are the basic yet crucial requirements to walk on a credentialing pathway?

So the requirements are as follows:

1. Education: Take an ICF-accredited training, whether Level 1st, Level 2nd, Level 3rd, or CCE hours.
2. Experience: Accrue significant number of hours applicable to the desired credential. However, an important thing to note here is that counting coaching hours starts only after you begin ICF-accredited training
3. Mentor Coaching: Obtain mentorship to develop your skills aligned with the ICF. This is important as Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 courses typically include mentoring; however, not the CCE courses.
4. Performance Evaluation: Assess your coaching skills against ICF standards, generally completed during your Level 1 or Level 2 courses.
5. Examination: Pass the written examination designed specially, to evaluate your knowledge of necessary ICF competencies and ethics. The evaluation exam is regulated by the ICF, which you can take after fulfilling the above requirements and applying for the credential.

Now, come to the different courses:

ICF 1st Level Accreditation

For 1st level courses, you need 60 to 124 contact learning hours. You can apply for the ACC – Associate Certified Coach Credential through 1st level application path, given you meet the requirements for credentialing.

ICF 2nd Level Accreditation

You need 125 to 175 hours of contact learning for level 2 courses. You can earn the title PCC- Professional Certified Coach Accredited Education and apply for the PCC Credential via the 2nd level application path upon meeting essential credentialing requirements.

Note: Once you complete the Level 2 course, you are eligible to apply for your ACC credential after accumulating 100 hours of experience. This is quite popular among potential coaches, as it provides a quicker route to gaining a credential. After accumulating 500 sessions, you can then apply for your PCC without incurring additional training or mentoring costs.

ICF 3rd Level Accreditation

The 3rd level of accreditation training is for those pursuing a Master Certified Coach (MCC) credential. It includes 75 contact learning hours of MCC Accredited Education.

CCE Courses – Continuing Coach Education

As the name suggests, CCE courses are intended to serve as continuing education and professional development for the maintenance and renewal of ICF credentials. It is not for primary coach training or education.

Credentialing through CCE courses necessitates the submission of the program curriculum, additional documents verifying that education fulfills ICF standards, mentor coaching verification, the recorded coaching session for the performance evaluation, and program certificates, in addition to coaching experience hours. As a result, the CCE certification process becomes a little complex.

In Conclusion 

To begin your professional coach journey, sign up for advanced and mastery coaching certification training for PCC and MCC, offered by Coach Masters Academy. This program is designed for mature coaches for advanced professional development by providing training for ICF core competency development and developing the artful mastery to evolve their skills from ACC to PCC or from PCC to MCC levels of coaching.

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