The Oxford Total Learning Group and Brightwave launch online Coaching and Mentoring Toolkit

Improving people development and organisational performance through coach-mentoring

The Oxford School of Coaching and Mentoring (OSC&M), part of the Oxford Total Learning Group, and Brightwave, the UK's fastest-growing e-learning specialists, today announce the launch of the Oxford Coach-Mentor's Online Toolkit. The Toolkit is designed to enable line managers, human resource specialists and coach-mentoring professionals to improve the effectiveness of their coach-mentoring.

Consisting of over 70 hours of quality training, the Toolkit integrates tools and resources in a fully blended learning experience to enable professionals to acquire or improve the essential skills for effective coach-mentoring.

In CIPD's 2004 survey of HR Directors and Managers, over 99% of respondents stated that coaching and mentoring delivers tangible benefits to both individuals and organisations. "Coach-mentoring is one of the fastest-growing and most effective methods to improve learning within large organisations," said Eric Parsloe, CEO of The Oxford Total Learning Group.

"We have a distinctive approach which combines academic rigour with commercial relevance and pragmatism. Since our start seven years ago we have developed over 400 professionals through our qualification programmes in coach-mentoring that are recognised and accredited by Oxford Brookes University. With the release of this Toolkit we are now making that same expertise available to a larger audience."

"By blending e-learning with traditional training tools such as video, written materials, interactive exercises and face to face sessions, companies can save costs and offer a more engaging learning experience," said Charles Gould, Brightwave's Managing Director. "The Toolkit can be tailored around specific needs or used as an off-the-shelf library of resources, and it can easily be integrated with normal work routines to save time out of the office."

Already in use at the Hilton International Hotel Group, Bupa and the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD), the Toolkit is available in three generic versions for those who want to work through a suite of professional qualifications up to and including master degree level, without leaving their desks for the classroom:

• The Manager as Coach and Mentor - For a basic introduction to the core tools and techniques of coach-mentoring to support improved performance within their teams.
• The Specialist Coach and Mentor - For HR and training professionals who want a higher level of skills and understanding of coach-mentoring techniques.
• The Professional Coach and Mentor - For qualified and/or experienced mentoring practitioners who need access to the latest tools and techniques.

92% of CIPD respondents stated that coaching, when managed properly, can have a positive effect on the bottom line. Parsloe commented: "Coaching and mentoring is a very focused method that can be used to improve personal performance, increase the speed of induction programmes, reinforce cultural change, improve communication, and support a whole range of organisational learning initiatives."

Gould concluded: "The Toolkit is another example of how e-learning is increasingly used to provide an effective blend of training methods to meet the needs of large organisations."

The Toolkit is available to buy from www.ocm.co.uk.

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