CMI L5 Coaching NCFE L3 AI Prompt Microsoft AB-730 EMCC pathway EPA gradebook Book a chat →
← Back to programme overview Qualifications in detail

Every credential. Every assessment.
Every penny, free.

Three premium qualifications, an EMCC accreditation pathway, and an Ofqual-recognised End-Point Assessment, all bundled into the AI for Coaching Professionals Level 4 apprenticeship. All complimentary, all under the £18,000 funding band.

3Premium qualifications
included free
£0Out-of-pocket cost
for levy employers
15moDelivery + Gateway
& EPA window
72%Distinction grade
vs 33% UK avg
★ Flagship credential

CMI Level 5 Award in Professional Coaching Practice

The chartered, lifetime-portable credential at the heart of the programme. Earned via a formally-assessed CMI assignment in month 11, included free.

★ Free with apprenticeship CMI · Level 5
Award in Professional Coaching Practice
Awarding bodyChartered Management Institute
Qualification levelLevel 5 (RQF)
Credit value6 credits · 60 GLH
AssessmentWritten assignment (~3,500 words)
GradingPass / Refer
Cost if studied separately£1,295 + £100 CMI reg
PortabilityLifetime · chartered

What learners actually study

One CMI Level 5 unit, formally assessed and certificated by CMI. The unit covers the role of the professional coach, ethical and legal frameworks, contracting and the wider organisational context, extended by 5 supplementary workshops delivered by TESS.

Unit 521V1

Principles of Professional Coaching Practice

The formally-assessed core. Role of the coach · models · ethics · contracting · supervision · organisational fit.

TESS supplement

+5 deeper workshops on top

Self-awareness · core behaviours · models & methods · culture & impact · GDPR & supervision, delivered (not assessed) by TESS.

Learning outcomes (what learners can do)

  • Critically evaluate the role of a professional coach in a workplace setting
  • Apply ethical principles, boundaries and contracting across three levels (coachee, sponsor, organisation)
  • Select and apply appropriate coaching models, GROW, OSKAR, CLEAR, solution-focused, developmental
  • Engage in reflective practice and demonstrate the use of supervision
  • Articulate the place of coaching within organisational and cultural strategy
★ Formally assessed by CMI

One ~3,500-word written assignment submitted via OneFile. Marked by a CMI-approved assessor against the unit's assessment criteria. Internally moderated by TESS, externally moderated by CMI. Two free re-submission opportunities if a refer is given.

What it's worth on a CV

  • Chartered, lifetime, portable, sits on a CV permanently
  • EMCC-aligned, counts toward EMCC Foundation membership evidence
  • Recognised by every UK employer through CMI's chartered status
  • Gateway to CMI Level 7 Coaching Supervision (future progression)
TESS exclusive

NCFE Level 3 CQ in AI Prompt Mastery

A bespoke TESS qualification awarded by NCFE, the most respected Ofqual-recognised awarding body in the UK. Not available anywhere else.

★ Free with apprenticeship NCFE · Level 3 CQ
AI Prompt Mastery
Awarding bodyNCFE
Qualification levelLevel 3 (RQF) · Customised
Credit value4 credits · 40 GLH
AssessmentPortfolio of evidence · 4 prompt artefacts
GradingPass / Refer · Distinction available
Cost if studied separately£395 (TESS exclusive)
Platforms coveredChatGPT · Copilot · Gemini · Claude

What learners actually master

Prompt engineering across the four major LLM platforms, applied to coaching workflows: session prep, reflective summaries, supervision notes, group-coaching design, and EMCC-aligned content development. No coding required.

Unit 1

Prompt foundations

Tokens, context windows, system prompts, temperature. The mechanics behind why prompts work (or don't).

Unit 2

Patterns & frameworks

Chain-of-thought · few-shot · role prompting · ReAct · self-critique loops · structured output (JSON / markdown).

Unit 3

Coaching-applied prompts

Session prep · reflective summaries · supervision notes · client-safe summarisation · GROW/OSKAR templated prompts.

Unit 4

Safety, GDPR & ethics

Anonymisation · client consent · model selection by sensitivity · audit trails · the new EMCC AI guidelines.

Assessment evidence

Submit a portfolio of 4 working prompt artefacts applied to real coaching scenarios. Each is annotated with rationale, model choice and ethical considerations. Assessed by TESS, externally verified by NCFE quarterly.

Microsoft credential

Microsoft AB-730 AI Business Professional

The globally-portable Microsoft credential. Sits on LinkedIn as a verified badge, travels with the apprentice across every employer, forever.

★ Free with apprenticeship Microsoft · Professional
AB-730 AI Business Professional
Awarding bodyMicrosoft
Credential typeProfessional certification
Exam length~60 minutes · multiple choice
Pass mark700/1000
ValidityLifetime (Professional category)
Cost if studied separately£99 · exam vouchers
DeliveryPearson VUE · online proctored

Exam domains

  • AI fundamentals & business value, concepts, capabilities, limitations, common business cases
  • Responsible AI, fairness, reliability, privacy, transparency, accountability
  • Copilot in Microsoft 365, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams workflows
  • Copilot Chat & enterprise data grounding, citations, scope, Microsoft Graph
  • Building & adopting AI, Copilot Studio basics, governance, change management

How TESS prepares learners

  • Module 11 of the ST1512 curriculum maps 1:1 to the exam domains
  • 3 full mock exams graded via Coachy with AI explanations of every wrong answer
  • Live revision clinic in month 13, 90 minutes, with cohort Q&A
  • Exam voucher provided · resit covered if first attempt is missed by ≤5%
★ The LinkedIn badge that matters

The credential auto-verifies into Microsoft's Credential ID system and into LinkedIn's Skills section. Recruiters can verify it instantly. The single most-portable AI certification on the market, and 100% included.

EMCC accreditation pathway

The route to EMCC Global Individual Accreditation.

EMCC (European Mentoring & Coaching Council) is the most-recognised coaching membership body in the UK. TESS actively supports apprentices through the accreditation pathway, not just framework alignment on paper.

Stage 1

EMCC Student Member

Free at enrolment. Access to the EMCC community, journal, events & CPD library. TESS handles the application.

Stage 2

Foundation Practitioner

On completion of CMI L5 + 50 logged practice hours. Your CMI portfolio counts as foundational evidence.

Stage 3

Senior Practitioner

Post-apprenticeship pathway. TESS supports CPD log, supervision evidence and the application narrative, at no extra cost.

Stage 4

Master Practitioner

Long-term goal. TESS alumni get continued post-apprenticeship support through our coaching supervision pool.

What TESS actually does for EMCC: we provide application templates, evidence mapping from your apprenticeship portfolio, application coaching from a Senior Practitioner, and pay your first-year Foundation Practitioner fee. This is included free.
ST1512 End-Point Assessment · gradebook

The exact grading criteria.

Two assessment methods, independently graded by the IAO (Independent Assessment Organisation), combined into the final grade. Here's exactly how TESS supports each one.

Method 1 · Work-Based Project & Report

A real workplace AI/automation initiative the apprentice identified, scoped, delivered and evaluated. Written up as a max 4,500-word report with appendices.

CriterionPassDistinction
Opportunity identificationIdentifies workplace AI opportunityArticulates strategic value & alternatives
Ethical & governance reasoningApplies governance basicsAnticipates harms, designs mitigations
ImplementationDelivers an AI solutionIterates, evaluates, optimises
ReflectionReflects on outcomesCritical reflection on alternatives

Method 2 · Presentation + Professional Discussion

30-minute presentation of the work-based project, then 60 minutes of open competency questioning from the IAO assessor. KSBs are covered systematically.

CriterionPassDistinction
Communication & presentationClear, structured presentationTailors to audience, persuasive
Depth of KSB coverageDemonstrates each KSBIntegrates KSBs across scenarios
Critical reasoningJustifies decisionsCompares against alternatives
Forward-looking thinkingIdentifies next stepsAnticipates risks & scale-up

TESS Distinction Playbook (free)

  • ✓ Project scoping clinic in month 5, pick a strong, distinction-grade project
  • ✓ Draft report review in month 12, Coachy + skills coach feedback
  • ✓ 4 mock EPA sessions with the TESS coaching team
  • ✓ Real-IAO formatted feedback grids matching the actual gradebook
  • ✓ Presentation rehearsal with cohort peers (Lencioni-style critique)
  • ✓ Resit guarantee: we cover EPA resit cost if needed
What this would cost separately

Bought separately: £3,985+. Bundled with TESS: £0.

Levy-funded employers spend nothing out of pocket. SMEs access 95–100% government co-investment. The entire stack, qualifications, EMCC support, Coachy, EPA, sits inside the £18,000 ST1512 funding band.

ItemStandalone priceWith TESS
CMI Level 5 Award in Professional Coaching Practice£1,395Free
NCFE Level 3 CQ in AI Prompt Mastery£395Free
Microsoft AB-730 exam + 3 mock exams£99 + £180Free
EMCC Foundation Practitioner (1 year)£145Free
11 ST1512 AI & automation modules£1,400 (CPD market rate)Free
Coachy AI tutor (24/7, 15 months)£270 (SaaS equivalent)Free
EPA + 4 mock EPAs + resit guarantee£500Free
Total if bought separately£4,384£0

All figures based on publicly-listed standalone fees from awarding bodies and CPD providers, May 2026. The standalone bundle does not include workshops or 1:1 coaching.

Talk to TESS

See the full qualifications stack in 25 minutes.

A no-obligation Teams chat. We'll walk you through the CMI L5 assignment, the AB-730 mock, the EPA gradebook, and demo Coachy live. Response within 1 working day.

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