If you are being Lean Six Sigma trained and certified by your employer, the cost should not be a concern for you. But what if you must pay for it by yourself? Cost may then be important. Let’s explore the variation in cost for being LSS trained and certified.
What is the cost of Lean Six Sigma training and certification?
If your employer is providing training and certification for employees as part of a Lean Six Sigma (LSS) deployment or is willing to send you out and pay for training and certification, the cost should not be an issue for you. But if you elect to be LSS trained and certified for personal and professional development the money comes out of your pocket.
This article will distinguish the different options you have for training and certification provided by external organizations. Your decisions should not be based solely on the price quoted by the organization but by the value you will receive. This will be a function of the quality and comprehensiveness of the program as well as the credibility and reputation of the provider. The provenance of your certification is important since employers place value on certifications from well-known and proven providers, their programs and the success of their graduates.
Cost of LSS Training for Public Classroom Training
We will focus specifically on Green Belt and Black Belt training since they are the most common belts awarded. Here are some examples of public classroom programs provided by external providers:
Company 1
Green Belt:
- 2 weeks of training with a month in between each week
- Cost of training is $3,800
- Includes Training Certification and Project Certification at no additional charge
- Conducted by a Master Black Belt with real world experience
- Project Certification includes mentoring by your Master Black Belt
Black Belt:
- 2 weeks of training with a month in between each week
- Requires a Green Belt certification for enrollment
- Cost of training is $4,000
- Option to combine this course with the Green Belt for the four-week Black Belt
- Cost of the four-week Black Belt training is $6,800
- Includes Training Certification and Project Certification at no additional charge
- Conducted by a Master Black Belt with real world experience
- Project Certification includes mentoring by your Master Black Belt (MBB)
Company 2
Green Belt:
- 2 weeks of training
- Cost of training is $3,600
Requirements for certification:
- Complete the classroom training
- Successfully complete the Case Study Project at the end of the training class
- Complete a project at your field work using the principles. An MBB will mentor the students when they decide to do the project.
Black Belt:
- 2 weeks of training
- Cost of training is $3,600
Requirements for certification
- Must be Green Belt certified
- Complete the Black Belt classroom training
- Successfully complete the Case Study Project at the end of the training class
- Complete one project at your field work using the principles. An MBB will mentor the students when they decide to do the project
Company 3
Green Belt:
- 5 days (40 hours) of training
- Cost of training is $3,300
Requirements for certification:
- Students who complete the class and score 70% or better on the 85-question exam will receive a Green Belt training completion certificate
- Students who choose to complete a Six Sigma project, reviewed, and approved by the trainer will receive a Six Sigma Green Belt certification and corresponding plaque.
Black Belt:
- 5 days (40 hours) of training
- Cost of training is $3,300
Requirements for certification
- Students who complete the class and score 70% or better overall on the 100-question exam, will receive a Black Belt training completion certificate
- Additionally, students desiring to receive a Six Sigma Black Belt certification and corresponding plaque, must attend the 5-day Lean Thinking course (additional $3,300), and complete a total of two Six Sigma projects (includes one Green Belt project), which must be periodically reviewed and finally approved by a trainer.
Company 4
Green Belt:
- 2 weeks of training
- Cost of training is $5,179
Requirements for certification:
- There is normally three-to-four weeks between sessions where the individual returns to their work environment to apply the knowledge and skills learned in class to their projects.
- A defined, management-approved business improvement project that provides a positive business impact to your organization of $10,000 – $50,000. The knowledge and skills learned in this training course will be applied to this project.
Black Belt:
- 2 weeks of training
- Cost of training is $6,439
Requirements for certification
- Student already possesses Green Belt certification
- There is normally three-to-four weeks between sessions where the individual returns to their work environment to apply the knowledge and skills learned in class to their projects.
- A defined, management-approved business improvement project that provides a business impact to your business of $100,000 or greater.
Cost of LSS Online Training From a Consultant
In this section, you can compare online, and virtual programs offered by some external providers:
Company 1
Green Belt:
- 2 weeks of training spread out over instructor-led multiple virtual sessions
- Cost of training is $5,179
Requirements for certification:
- A defined, management-approved business improvement project that provides a positive business impact to your organization of $10,000 – $50,000. The knowledge and skills learned in this training course will be applied to this project.
Black Belt:
- 2 weeks of training spread out over instructor-led multiple virtual sessions
- Cost of training is $6,439
Requirements for certification
- Student already possesses a Green Belt certification
- A defined, management-approved business improvement project that provides a business impact to your business of $100,000 or greater.
Company 2
Green Belt:
- 11 sessions (84 hours)
- Combination of instructor-led and asynchronous content for self-guided students seeking to further their understanding at their own pace
- Cost of course alone is $1,900
- Cost with certification is $3,175 (Course + Certification + Coaching)
Black Belt:
- 12 sessions (140 hours)
- Cost of course alone is $3,100
- Cost with certification is $3,925 (Course + Certification + Coaching)
Black Belt certification requirements:
Training and certification are two separate processes. To earn Black Belt certification, you must:
- Purchase and complete the online Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Course
- Achieve a passing score (80%) on the Black Belt final examination
- Complete two successful Lean Six Sigma improvement projects
Company 3
Green Belt
- $257 (includes Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Training & Certification)
- Fully online, self-paced, lifetime access (does not expire)
- Includes optional simulated project component
- Certification exam included (taken online – unlimited attempts)
- Short case studies and real-world examples from leading organizations
Black Belt
- $399 (includes Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Training & Certification
- Management Focused Certification
- Average Completion Time: 4-7 Weeks
- 100% Online & Self-Paced Training Included
- Black Belt Certification Exam Included (taken online – unlimited attempts)
- Simulated Project Included
Cost of LSS for Online Training from an Educational Institution
Training and certification are also available from a variety of educational institutions ranging from local technical schools to nationally recognized universities. Here are a few examples:
Institution 1
Green Belt
- Cost is $2,195
- The Lean Six Sigma Green Belt course is 100% online and instructor-led
- It takes 10 weeks to complete
- Students who successfully finish the course typically devote 45 hours to study, which includes about 25 hours of viewing video lectures and 20 hours of doing other coursework
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification requires students engage in assignments relating to a case study that simulates a real-world project
Black Belt
- Cost is $3,750
- The Lean Six Sigma Black Belt course is 100% online and instructor-led
- It takes 16 weeks to complete
- A course-long project underpins this certificate. The project allows students to directly apply their learning and use their course time to address an issue relevant to their organization
- Projects can be conducted for a student’s employer or for a charitable organization with which they are closely tied. Instructors work with each student to identify a suitable project and assist with advice and troubleshooting throughout. Weekly course assignments relate directly to and include project deliverables.
Institution 2
Green Belt
- Cost is $1,699
- The Lean Six Sigma Green Belt course is 100% online and self-paced
- The Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification Exam is not included as part of the tuition and must be purchased separately from another provider for $499 and must be renewed every 3 years
No Black Belt certification offered.
Institution 3
Green Belt
- Cost is $1,795
- Virtual live instructor-led
- Consists of 5 Saturdays from 8:30am to 4:30pm
- Prerequisite is Yellow Belt certification
- Project simulation
Black Belt
- Cost is $3,950
- Virtual live instructor-led
- Consists of 5 Saturdays from 8:30am to 4:30am and 3 weekdays from 6pm to 9pm
- Prerequisite is Green Belt certification
- Project Case Study simulation
Most educational programs rely on external consultants to design and deliver their LSS programs. In many cases, they only provide the training component and require the students to obtain their certification from another source. Below is just an example of the costs associated with this approach.
Primary Certifications (No project requirement):
- White Belt: FREE
- Yellow Belt: $99.00
- Green Belt: $159.00
- Black Belt: $229.00
Advanced Certifications (Requires Project Completion):
- Green Belt Level II: +$300.00
- Black Belt Level II: +$300.00
- Black Belt Level III: +$300.00
- Master Black Belt: +$665.00
FAQs
Is certification provided from all training programs?
No. While the majority provide exams and certification as part of their programs, there are some who require you to obtain your exams and certification elsewhere.
Are the instructors for educational institution programs regular faculty?
Generally not. Since most faculty will lack the credentials and experience needed to provide competent training and certification, educational institutions contract with external consultants to design and deliver the training and certification of the students. The institution will usually provide a certificate or plaque with their name on it with the consultant signing off on the certification.
Which is better – doing the program in a classroom or virtually?
This is a strictly personal decision. Which format you use will be a function of your schedule, physical location, attitude towards collaboration with fellow students and the instructor and personal learning style. There is no significant difference in costs between the two formats.
Wrap-up
As you can see, the answer to your question of “How much does LSS training and certification cost?” is more complicated than it seems. If you are being trained and certified by your employer as part of their LSS deployment, then the question is moot. But if you are doing this on your own there are many options available to you.
Your considerations include:
- Classroom vs virtual online?
- If online, do you want instructor-led or self paced?
- Do you want to use an external consultant or educational institution?
- Is cost an issue?
- Do you want to do a real business project or a case study simulation for your certification?
It is recommended that after you do your own due diligence and research, ask around where others obtained their certification and how they feel about the process. A great source of information can be found on isixsigma.com.
