Four major coaching bodies are set to meet next week in a bid to build links.

Representatives of the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC), the International Coach Federation, the Association for Coaching and the Coaching Psychology Forum will look at ways that they can work together in the interests of coaching and mentoring.

EMCC's membership and marketing committee chairperson Eric Parsloe is set to chair the April 27 meeting.

He said: "We (the EMCC) firmly believe that as far as coaching and mentoring is concerned, the idea of competing professional bodies is outmoded and unhelpful and we are committed to exploring new ways of working together to take the industry forward."