With a diverse, international workforce, the client wanted a consistent internal career coaching capability embedded across the business - supporting skills mobility and employee-led career growth, strengthening engagement and retention, and inclusive rather than elitist, accessible to colleagues at all levels. Beneath that sat a cultural ambition: a pivot towards career conversations, not just performance-based ones, with colleagues communicating their aspirations clearly and purposefully.

Working alongside Career Counselling Services, Acuity Coaching supported the client through four stages: scoping and consultation to define objectives, success criteria and the selection of volunteer trainees; design of a robust, practical training experience suitable across roles and regions; delivery of accredited career coach training to four cohorts across the US, Europe and Asia Pacific; and embedding - establishing the systems and tools that let coaches confidently deliver one-to-one career conversations. Responsibilities were clearly defined throughout: the employee driving their own development, supported by an engaged manager, with the company providing the infrastructure to make it happen.

The post-training survey was emphatic: 97% of learning objectives rated as definitely achieved across all cohorts, 100% of participants confident and equipped to offer one-to-one career coaching, and 97% of pilot coachees more motivated to stay long term. Career conversations are becoming more widespread and strategic, participation from a range of functions - including senior leaders - has reinforced the programme’s credibility, and graduates continue to receive supervision and CPD through the alumni network as the client scales the programme further.