iPEC

iPEC is a coach training school for people who want to become professional coaches or bring coaching skills into their work as leaders and HR professionals. The FAQ explains that the company was once known as the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching and now goes simply by iPEC. Its core product is the Coach Training Program, a live course delivered in person or virtually that ends in two certifications, with graduate courses, niche certifications and an alumni community after it.

The About page dates the school to "nearly twenty-five years ago" and credits founder Bruce D Schneider with the approach behind it, which iPEC calls consciousness-based coaching. The same page says 25,000+ people have been trained in that approach. The FAQ describes iPEC as "a trusted leader in coach training for over 25 years", known for its "research-backed Core Energy Coaching™ methodology".

The approach

iPEC presents its philosophy as the thing that sets it apart. The About page puts it plainly: "It's more than coach training. It's life transforming." The training asks students to go through the work themselves before using it with clients, an exploration of self that, in the site's words, means "challenging accepted self-narratives, identifying and breaking through stifling fears and hurdles, and uncovering new possibilities." The FAQ contrasts this with "passive online courses where you simply watch videos and take tests": training is hands-on, with practice coaching, personal feedback and a "learn-experience-reflect" loop that the program page says is designed for adult learners.

The Coach Training Program

The program is built from three live 3-day modules, each of which can be attended in person or in a live virtual setting, with options for midweek or weekend training. The FAQ says the program can be completed in about 7 to 8 months and that all three modules are required for graduation.

Module I, Coaching Fundamentals, is also sold on its own as a 3-day course for people who want "a taste of the full coach training experience." It introduces the Core Energy Coaching™ methodology, which works on the thoughts, beliefs and emotions that block a client, and the program page says students leave with 20+ tactical skills and handouts and exercises to use with clients. Between modules, students practice coaching and being coached each week with peers and mentors and complete self-study assignments. Module II adds frameworks for working with clients' deep-seated thoughts and patterns and advanced techniques for removing blocks. Module III covers long-term change and trains students to administer the Energy Leadership Index® assessment (ELI), which they first take themselves.

After Module III and the remaining coursework, students submit final exams and earn two certifications: Certified Professional Coach (CPC) and Energy Leadership Index® Master Practitioner (ELI-MP). Support along the way includes six 1-1 sessions with a dedicated mentor coach, ongoing monthly webinars hosted by an iPEC trainer and a resource library of tools, templates and client materials, all included in tuition according to the program page. Students do not have to wait until graduation to earn: the FAQ says they can start working with clients right after Module I, and the program page says that at any point they can "launch your business, start working with paying clients or creating online courses".

Specializations and graduate learning

The menu lists four niche certification options: Life Coach Certification, Executive Coach Certification, Health Certification and Performance Certification. After the core program, graduates can enroll in COR.E® Dynamics, which the FAQ describes as choosing a niche, learning iPEC's SCOPE™ mobile app and receiving 40 hours of on-demand advanced training, leading to a COR.E Dynamics™ Specialist certification. The community page also mentions master's level certifications in COR.E® Dynamics and Core Energy Diversity Coach™ (CEDC). The Programs and Products section groups everything into three paths: introductory training, graduate learning "beyond Mod III", and client materials for growing a coaching business.

Accreditation and credits

The site states that "iPEC offers an accredited ICF training program which meets the educational requirements for an ICF Credential", that it has "20+ years as an ICF-accredited program", and that it was "one of the first coach training programs to be accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF)". The FAQ says iPEC meets or exceeds the requirements for Level 2 accreditation and explains the hours: 160 training hours across the CPC and ELI-MP certifications, enough to apply for an ICF PCC credential once a coach has logged 500+ coaching hours; another 40 hours with COR.E Dynamics for a total of 200; and optional add-ons up to 320 training hours. It also notes that the ICF credential is separate and that pursuing it is the graduate's choice.

The program page lists further credits: 67 Professional Development Credits (PDCs) toward SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP recertification, 70 credit hours toward HRCI recertification, and 120 credit hours toward Board Certified Coach (BCC) recertification. For HR professionals, the FAQ adds that "a certification specifically from iPEC is shown to raise HR salaries by about 28%", and lists New York Presbyterian Hospital, Rabobank, Mastercard, NASA, IKEA and Boeing among companies that have sent employees to the training.

Tuition and admissions

The site does not print a tuition figure; instead it offers a tool to "Design your path, explore add-ons, and calculate tuition", plus a downloadable program guide. It does set out how to pay. Students "Save $250 on tuition when you pay in full", monthly installments with zero interest are available for those who qualify, and a partnership with Coach Financing starts "for as little as $350/month*". Employer professional development funds and student loans (not in all countries) are other routes, and VAT is charged where applicable at European training locations.

Admissions begin with a conversation with the Admissions Team, and the site notes that "Everyone on our Admissions Team is a certified coach." Applicants complete a brief application and choose a start date from cohorts that run several times a year, in person and virtually. The education requirement is a high school diploma or equivalent.

Trainers and community

The Lead Trainers include John Bond, Nina Cashman, Cindy Gardner, Daniel Macca, Sarah Kipp, Wendy Irwin, Kenya Haupt, Tonya Echols, Sherri Gerek and Lisa Kaplin, who the site says "is a psychologist who ran her own therapy practice for nine years" before becoming an iPEC Certified Professional Coach. Another trainer, Steven, spent 22 years in the U.S. Army.

Graduates join a network of "more than 25,000 coaches", with monthly Energy Leadership webinars, free masterclasses, workshops on topics such as DEI in the Coaching Relationship and Coaching with Integrity, many of them carrying Continuing Coach Education (CCE) credits for renewing ICF credentials, an alumni resource hub, and done-for-you marketing toolkits with "pre-written sales copy, social media graphics, and training videos." The site says Forbes Health included the program in its Best Life Coach Certification Programs of 2023 list, as "Best for Support After Graduation". One graduate, Caroline C., writes that "The trainers and staff are exceptional both personally and professionally."

Who it suits

iPEC suits people who want a full, certified route into professional coaching with live training and mentoring, and who are comfortable with a program that asks them to work on themselves as much as on technique. HR professionals, managers and team leaders get a clear case too, given the SHRM and HRCI credits and the option to coach internally. It is a weaker fit for someone looking for a short self-paced video course, since the core program runs on scheduled live modules over several months, though Coaching Fundamentals offers a 3-day starting point.