What is a Black Belt?

Within any organisation which has embraced Continuous Improvement’, ‘Lean’ or ‘Lean Six Sigma,  you will encounter terminology such as Yellow Belt, Green Belt and Black Belt. Every ‘Belt’ comes with specific responsibilities. In this blog we will explain how this works and perhaps more importantly what steps to take to become a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.

What is Lean Six Sigma Black Belt?

The Lean Six Sigma Company distinguishes several ‘Belt’ qualifications. These Belts come in different colours very much like belts in martial arts. But what do we mean with a Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma? This terminology is used to indicate a certain degree of expertise and more specifically, to which degree the holder of the Belt can apply the Lean Six Sigma methodology. A Black Belt is a fully qualified Lean Six Sigma professional. Continuous Improvement of processes is your profession as a Black Belt. We do have several different Black Belt courses to offer.

What will I learn during a Black Belt course?

During the Lean Six Sigma Black Belt course you will be trained to be a Lean Six Sigma professional working at Continuous improvement of processes at the highest level. The Lean Six Sigma Company UK offers two different Black Belt courses. Both courses meet the international standards for Lean Six Sigma Black Belts but we have made a distinction based on your background and more importantly your ambition in which industry you wish to apply the powerful Lean Six Sigma methodology. The main difference is in the depth of knowledge transfer for certain topics and tools.

The Lean Six Sigma Black Belt course for the Services Sector, for instance offers the full Black Belt course but is designed for those participants who wish to pursue a career in the Services Sector or more transactional based industries. It is our pleasure to explain the different options in more detail and highlight the difference between these courses

We offer two different Black Belt courses.

Black Belt for the Services Sector

During the Black Belt for the Services Sector course a host of subjects will be covered. You will spend time learning how to select the best Continuous Improvement projects, you will learn how to implement these projects with your team. You will gain in depth knowledge of the different tools and techniques which require analysing specific data to get the most process improvement. You will benefit from an online learning platform (MyTraining™) which amongst many other elements provides several online material such as seven different courses on topics such as Value Stream Mapping (VSM), DMAIC and 5S Management. During the instructor led course you can focus on the practical side of implementing Lean Six Sigma enabling you to put your newly acquired skills into practice straight away.

The Black Belt course for the Services Sector is offered eight times a year in partnership with the University of Bedfordshire. Course dates will not be rescheduled (or relocated) depending on the number of bookings, giving participants the flexibility of rescheduling to another course at any time or even picking and choosing dates across courses.

Black Belt for the Industrial Sector

In the Black Belt course for the Industrial Sector you will learn about process improvement using several tools including tools employing statistics. This ten day course (classroom) is our most complete Black Belt course also covering methodologies such as Design of Experiments (DoE) and Measure System Analysis (MSA). With a clear focus on the practical application, you will be able to take the lead in projects which a involve a structured approach to Continuous Improvement often aimed at reducing variation or being consistent in delivering what the customer requires. The Black Belt course for the Industrial Sector is offered eight times a year in partnership with the University of Bedfordshire. Course dates will not be rescheduled (or relocated) depending on the number of bookings, giving participants the flexibility of rescheduling to another course at any time or even picking and choosing dates across courses.

Will a Black Belt qualification boost my career?

In the world of today, many businesses across the board strive to increase their productivity in a competitive market with new challenges brought on by increasing change (through for instance technology). It necessitates a data driven focus on improving the way you work aimed at improving your processes in a structured manner.

Black Belts are pivotal in driving initiatives forward aimed at these goals which is evidenced by an increasing demand for this qualification, not only for continuous Improvement functions but also in management and leadership positions.

Research also indicates, Black Belt qualifications can lead to remuneration jump in excess of £50k per annum which will also depend on experience of the Black Belt, the type of qualification and the industry.

Clearly  an increasing number of organisations, ranging from large corporates to SME’s,  highly value Lean Six Sigma as a structure for Continuous Improvement in the challenging markets we are in today!

On a more individual level, we see Black Belts who successfully implement projects with a quantifiable business impact for the company, reap clear career benefits. Perhaps more importantly, with this new skillset and increasing experience you will create personal growth opportunities for the future.

How does your week look like as a Black Belt?

Black Belts are involved in Continuous Improvement projects and initiatives. They set up these projects and initiatives, are an important coach for their colleagues involved and last but not least make sure they gain traction and keep momentum by involving many colleagues on all levels within the organisation.

By making sure Continuous Improvement of processes is executed, they can secure both short term and long term results for the organisation as part of the strategic objectives.

What these projects or initiatives look like in practice will naturally depend on the industry  and the organisation. In practice, as a Black Belt you can expect to play a key role often covering a wide array of issues within the organisation at the highest level.

The Black Belt courses with The Lean Six Sigma Company

The Lean Six Sigma Company is one the most reputable international providers in the field of Lean Six Sigma. All courses are provided by experienced instructors and in using a so-called blended approach with the MyTraining™ platform mentioned before, we ensure our Black Belts can apply Lean Six Sigma in practice as Continuous Improvement professionals straight after the course.

In addition to courses we can be of service to organisations during the implementation of Lean Six Sigma with targeted coaching, workshops and bespoke training.

All courses lead to an internationally recognised certification. In many countries we have partnered with a higher education institution (e.g. in the UK, France, Belgium and the Netherlands) to take it to an even next level.

In short, an ideal step in your personal development and achieving your career goals.

Want to become a Lean Six Sigma professional?

Do you think becoming a Lean Six Sigma professional whether Green Belt or Black Belt is something you can benefit from? Take the next step right now! Ask for our prospectus right or simply contact us and discuss the options right away!