The coaching capability standard
Coaching Professional Level 5 was the standard most employers used to build internal coaching and mentoring capability. It is one of 16 standards confirmed for defunding in March 2026.
Defunded standard · Funded alternative
Coaching Professional Level 5 is being defunded. Here is your funded route.
Coaching Professional Level 5 loses government funding for new starts from September 2026. If you have been building internal coaching capability with it, a strong funded option is AI for Coaching Professionals, delivered on the AI and Automation Level 4 standard, with a CMI Level 5 coaching qualification and six coaching workshops included by TESS alongside it. Your coaches gain the AI fluency they now need, and keep a recognised coaching credential.
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What is happening, and by when
On 15 March 2026 the government confirmed that 16 apprenticeship standards will lose funding, to refocus apprenticeship spend on younger people. Coaching Professional Level 5 is one of them.
Funding ends from 1 September 2026
The baseline is that defunding takes effect from 1 September 2026 for new starts. Anyone already on programme is funded through to completion.
New starts are already capped at 75%
From the March announcement, providers face a cap on new starts of 75% of their 2024-25 volume per standard, so places close before the September date.
The honest summary: there is no single national last-start date. Your practical deadline is whichever comes first, your provider's cap filling or their confirmed last-start date, so the safe move is to book replacement starts early. Read the full breakdown of the 2026 defunding.
Your funded switch path
None of these is a like-for-like clone of the coaching standard, and you should be wary of anyone who claims theirs is. They are the funded routes that now develop your coaching and leadership populations.
AI for Coaching Professionals, on ST1512
Our AI for Coaching Professionals pathway runs on the AI and Automation Practitioner Level 4 standard (ST1512), which is not on the defunding list, on the £18,000 levy band. TESS includes a CMI Level 5 coaching qualification and six coaching workshops alongside it, outside the funded apprenticeship.
AI Leadership Units (Level 5)
For senior leaders and heads of people, the short Level 5 AI Leadership Units (£750 per learner, fully funded, no EPA) build AI strategy, governance and delivery capability in weeks.
AI for Team Leaders (Level 4)
For team leaders and people managers below the coaching population, the AI for Team Leaders pathway on ST1512 includes a CMI Level 3 leadership qualification alongside the apprenticeship.
What coaches build inside AI for Coaching Professionals
The coaching credential you expect, plus the AI fluency that makes coaching scalable and evidence-led in 2026.
CMI Level 5 coaching qualification
The CMI Level 5 included alongside the apprenticeship keeps a recognised coaching and mentoring credential in the picture, so your coaches still get coaching development as well as AI capability.
AI for coaches, no coding
Hands-on with Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini or Claude to prepare sessions, structure reflection, and reduce the admin around a coaching practice.
Working with AI agents
An introduction to agentic AI, the autonomous, multi-step agents now entering the workplace, and how a coaching leader oversees and uses them responsibly.
Responsible and ethical AI
Confidentiality, bias and data protection applied to a coaching context, so AI supports rather than undermines trust.
A real workplace deliverable
Every apprentice ships an AI or automation improvement in their actual role, evidenced for the End-Point Assessment.
Coaching Professional L5 vs AI for Coaching Professionals on ST1512, side by side
A fair comparison so you can brief your team. We have kept it honest, including where the new pathway covers different ground.
| Dimension | Coaching Professional Level 5 (defunded) | AI for Coaching Professionals on ST1512 (TESS) |
|---|---|---|
| Funding status | Defunded for new starts from Sept 2026 | Active and levy-funded (not on the defunding list) |
| Coaching credential | Coaching Professional standard | CMI Level 5 coaching qualification included alongside |
| AI and automation | Not included | Core programme content |
| Agentic AI | Not covered | Introduced and applied |
| Funding band | Defunded for new starts | £18,000 (active, levy-eligible) |
| Apprentice deliverable | Coaching practice portfolio | Live AI or automation improvement shipped |
| End-point assessment | EPA via approved EPAO | EPA via NQual |
| Distinction rate | Varies by provider | 72% at TESS |
Frequently asked questions
Is the Coaching Professional Level 5 apprenticeship really being defunded?
Yes. Coaching Professional Level 5 is one of 16 standards the government confirmed in March 2026 will lose funding, alongside Team Leader Level 3 and Operations Manager Level 5. Defunding for new starts takes effect from 1 September 2026.
Will my existing coaching apprentices still complete?
Yes. Anyone already on programme is funded through to completion on the standard they started. The change only affects new starts after the cut-off.
Do we lose the coaching qualification if we switch?
No. The AI for Coaching Professionals pathway includes a CMI Level 5 coaching qualification alongside the apprenticeship, so your coaches gain AI capability on a funded Level 4 standard and still finish with a recognised Level 5 coaching credential.
What is the last start date?
There is no single national last-start date. The baseline is 1 September 2026, but new starts were capped from March 2026 at 75% of each provider's 2024-25 volume, so places close earlier. Ask your provider for their cap and confirmed last-start date in writing, and book replacement starts early.
Why is Coaching Professional L5 being defunded?
The government is refocusing apprenticeship funding towards younger people and the industrial strategy, and management and coaching standards used mainly by experienced staff were among the 16 cut in the March 2026 announcement.
Is the Level 4 a like-for-like replacement?
Not like for like, and it would be misleading to claim otherwise. The AI for Coaching Professionals pathway is an AI and automation apprenticeship for the same people, with a CMI Level 5 coaching credential included alongside it, which is why employers who used Coaching Professional L5 look at it first.
Map your Coaching Professional L5 cohort to a funded route
A 30-minute call to walk through your current coaching cohort plan. We will show you the levy maths and the switch path per person, before the caps fill.
Last updated: 12 June 2026