Around three-quarters of organisations use coaching and mentoring, but only a fifth train their coaches and mentors.

The Coaching and Mentoring Managing Best Practice guide found that 83% of organisations use coaching and 73% use mentoring, but only 21% of organisations in its survey, provided guidance or training to coaches and mentors.

Among respondents, 64% used coaching to develop job-specific or technical skills, followed by 50% for management development and 47% for leadership skills.

In contrast the most popular use for mentoring was familiarising new recruits with the organisation (45%), but no one reason stood out.

The criteria for becoming a coach centre on appropriate experience (55%), good communication skills (50%) and the ability to act as good role model (43%).

Similar attributes are sought in mentors with 55% of respondent organisations looking for experience and 47% for the ability to act as a good role model.

Director of the research Stephen Bevan said it was worrying that so few organisations were prepared to invest in their coaches and trainers.

"A good coach or mentor can make a massive difference to individual and organisational performance. But a bad one can be an 'unguided' missile and do considerable damage,” he added.