Coaching seen as key priority for the future workplace, yet more than half of business leaders lack the formal training

• Coaching (34%) emerges as one of the top initiatives business leaders foresee their organisation prioritising in the next five years.
• Majority of business leaders (94%) and employees (92%) believe that coaching benefits individuals across all levels and job roles, with most viewing it as essential for personal and professional development (85% of leaders, 80% of employees). 
• About nine in ten business leaders and employees agree that all leaders should possess coaching skills (90% business leaders, 92% employees). However, a quarter (27%) of business leaders neither have the skills to coach nor have received formal training. Over half of business leaders (55%) report having the skills to coach but have not received formal training to be a certified coach.
• About three in four business leaders (74%) and around half of employees (52%) are interested in developing coaching skills to support others in their organisation, even if they do not plan on becoming a full-time coach.

SINGAPORE, June 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In today's dynamic workplace, coaching (34%) emerges as one of the top initiatives business leaders foresee their organisation prioritising in the next five years, alongside training (41%), and feedback mechanisms (38%).  According to the majority of business leaders (94%) and employees (92%), individuals across all levels and job roles can benefit from coaching, with most perceiving it as important for their personal and professional development (85% of business leaders, 80% of employees). 

In driving organisational growth, about nine in ten business leaders and employees (90% business leaders, 92% employees) agree that all leaders should possess coaching skills. Yet, a quarter of business leaders (27%) lack both coaching skills and formal training, while over half (55%) report having the relevant skills but are not formally certified. 

Moreover, there is interest in developing coaching skills not only among business leaders but also employees, highlighting that coaching is an in-demand skill across the workforce. About three in four business leaders (74%) and around half of employees (52%) are interested in developing coaching skills to support others in their organisation, even if they do not plan on becoming a full-time coach.

These are some of the key findings from NTUC LearningHub's Leadership and Coaching Report, based on a survey involving 150 business leaders and 300 full-time working professionals. The report investigates the essential skills and competencies that leaders must cultivate, while exploring the critical role of coaching in talent and organisational development across all levels and roles.

In developing their own capabilities, nearly nine in ten business leaders (17% very important, 71% important) and employees (17% very important, 71% important) believe coaching is essential in bridging the gaps in their personal leadership skills.

Powerful questioning (51% business leaders, 40% employees), relationship management (47% business leaders, 47% employees), effective communication (44% business leaders, 59% employees), active listening (38% business leaders, 49% employees) and giving constructive feedback (39% business leaders, 48% employees) are the top five coaching-related technical skills both business leaders and employees find useful.

In addition, about two in three business leaders (13% very interested, 53% interested) and about two in five employees (4% interested, 36% interested) are interested in becoming certified coaches.

The top coaching areas that both leaders and employees are keen to specialise in include leadership coaching (51% business leaders, 29% employees), team performance coaching (39% business leaders, 25% employees), career coaching (35% business leaders, 34% employees), and personal/life coaching (30% business leaders, 37% employees).

Commenting on the report's findings, Mr Amos Tan, Assistant Chief Executive and Chief Core Skills Officer, NTUC LearningHub, says, "The findings from the report underscore that coaching has evolved from a "nice to have" skill to a vital enabler of effective leadership, equipping leaders to strengthen team dynamics and navigate complex challenges in today's world with agility. At the same time, coaching skills are not exclusively for leaders, as employees can also develop these skills to uplift peers and support others at the workplace. Organisations should leverage this keen interest in learning to use coaching as a powerful catalyst for individual growth and organisational success, through active listening, purposeful questioning and thoughtful guidance. Therefore, coaching initiatives should be designed to be accessible and inclusive, ensuring widespread impact such that every employee can benefit. By placing coaching and leadership development at the forefront, businesses can nurture resilient leadership, build high-performing teams, and unlock the potential of their workforce both in the present and over the long term."

To download the Leadership and Coaching Report, please visit www.ntuclearninghub.com/media/research-reports/2025/leadership-coaching. To find out more about the courses, training, and grants, please contact NTUC LearningHub at www.ntuclearninghub.com.

About NTUC LearningHub

NTUC LearningHub is the leading Continuing Education and Training provider in Singapore which aims to transform the lifelong employability of working people. Since our corporatisation in 2004, we have been working with employers and individual learners to provide learning solutions in areas such as Infocomm Technology, Generative AI & Cloud, Healthcare, Retail & Food Services, Employability & Literacy, Business Excellence, Workplace Safety & Health, Security, Human Resources & Coaching and Foreign Workers Training.

To date, NTUC LearningHub has helped over 34,000 organisations and achieved more than 3.2 million training places across more than 1,000 courses with a pool of about 1,000 certified trainers. As a Total Learning Solutions provider to organisations, we also forge partnerships to offer a wide range of relevant end-to-end training. Besides in-person training, we also offer instructor-led virtual live classes (VLCs) and asynchronous online learning. The NTUC LearningHub Learning eXperience Platform (LXP) — a one-stop online learning platform — offers timely, bite-sized and quality content for learners to upskill anytime and anywhere. Beyond learning, LXP also serves as a platform for jobs and skills development for both workers and companies.

For more information, visit www.ntuclearninghub.com.

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Coaching seen as key priority for the future workplace, yet more than half of business leaders lack the formal training

SHENZHEN, China, Oct. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A report from Chinadailyhk.com

A photo exhibition on cultural and people-to-people exchanges in Asia opened in South China's Shenzhen on Monday, ahead of the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, which the city is hosting next month.

Co-organized by China Daily and the Asia News Network, the Changing Asia exhibition runs through Friday at the Shenzhen Research Institute of the Chinese University of Hong Kong under the theme "Moments of Connection: Smiles and Hands Across Asia-Pacific".

In her welcoming remarks, Liu Weiling, deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily, said the exhibition is an important cultural exchange event during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation's "China Year" and aligns with this year's theme, "Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together".

"We look forward to using the lens as a medium to capture the warm moments of Asia-Pacific people working hand-in-hand and civilizations integrating with each other, vividly showcasing the moving picture of Asia-Pacific peoples united in solidarity and embracing inclusiveness and shared prosperity," Liu said.

Warner Cheuk Wing-hing, Hong Kong's deputy chief secretary for administration, said at the opening that the photographs document the Asia-Pacific's cultural landscape and development stories without relying on words.

The exhibition highlights the core spirit of this year's APEC and offers visitors a glimpse of the region's growing mutual understanding and connection, as well as achievements in inclusive, shared development, he said.

The edition received more than 2,200 entries from 330 photographers worldwide. After a rigorous selection process, 97 works by 54 photographers from 17 countries and regions were chosen to capture the "smiles" and "hands" of Asia-Pacific people and portray a shared future of inclusive prosperity.

"Photography has the extraordinary ability to bring seemingly distant worlds closer together, creating a silent dialogue between the people portrayed and those viewing the images," Emanuele Giacomini, a documentary photographer based in Italy, told China Daily.

A set of photos Giacomini took at the 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, India, was selected for the exhibition. The festival was inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2017.

Giacomini said the exhibition's theme reflects his approach to documentary photography: seeking human connections, spontaneous gestures and emotions that transcend cultural and religious differences.

At the exhibition's launch, Bill Condon, an adviser to think tank Our Hong Kong Foundation, praised the quality and diversity of the photos. "It is really important to show and utilize the soft power of culture and art," he said. "The exhibition's Asian focus makes it so much more relevant and creates an opportunity for dialogue outside the formal meetings."

Nay Min Thu, a Myanmar student at Prince of Songkla University in Thailand, said he was impressed by the stories behind the photographs, particularly Shirkoo Mamagha's images capturing peaceful moments of nomadic communities in Iran. "I have learned that we should take photos that contain stories," said Thu, an amateur photographer.

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Changing Asia expo opens in Shenzhen