Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Apprenticeship

*Improvement Specialist Apprenticeships are funded by a co-investment arrangement which is 95% Government funded and 5% Employer contribution.  This means that a Level 5 (Black Belt) would only cost you between £0 – £450.

As Business Improvement Specialists, 100% Effective is ideally suited to the delivery of the Improvement Specialist Apprenticeship, having delivered Lean Six Sigma training and coaching since 1999. Our program uses Master Black Belts (MBB) with years of practical experience to train and coach each learner. By supporting the improvement specialist apprentice, our MBBs will ensure that projects are completed so that not only will the apprentice learn the required skills and behaviors but also provide a quick return on investment for the employer.

Our training provides all the skills needed to be certified as an international Lean Six Sigma Black Belt as well as a change manager resulting in a confident and effective improvement specialist apprentice who can solve problems as well as implement them. Every aspect of our program is practical and keeps in mind that both the learner and the employer have needs, and we ensure both are satisfied. This is why our in-house programs can be adapted to suit your culture, history, and objectives

Improvement Specialists - What pre-requisite qualifications are needed?

To complete their certification, Improvement Specialists will need to have achieved a Functional Skills Level 2 in both English and Maths. This is equivalent to a GCSE Grade 4 (or C grade in the previous system). If you have not obtained these levels, then we can support you to achieve them.

Why should you choose 100% Effective?
What is the improvement specialist apprenticeship standard?

Improvement Specilaists use a combination of Lean and Six Sigma methodologies, project management, and change management principles and tools to identify and lead change across various organizational functions and processes. These practitioners can be found in all sectors and functions, including automotive, banking, engineering, food products, IT, property, retail, telecoms, local and county councils, NHS, voluntary/charity, utilities, pharmaceuticals, insurance, and hospitality.

Improvement Specialists typically report to Improvement Leaders who develop the improvement strategy and governance processes, and who provide technical guidance on advanced analysis. Improvement Specialists draw on their advanced knowledge and skills in applying Improvement principles and tools across a range of programs/projects/areas to build the capability of others. They work closely with other Improvement Specialists to support the delivery of improvement strategies. Improvement Leaders provide technical guidance on advanced analysis. Improvement Specialists manage (directly and/or matrix) Improvement Practitioners who lead smaller improvement projects aligned to the improvement strategy.
A typical optimal ratio of Improvement Specialists to Improvement Practitioners in an organization is 1:10. Improvement Specialists work on multiple simultaneous projects linked to key business objectives, identifying and engaging both subject matter experts and key stakeholders. They swiftly visualize processes, problems, and opportunities and use both graphical and statistical analysis to deliver improvements.
Their work generally requires them to interact with others, but typically involves a high degree of autonomy. Improvement Specialists’ work can encompass a wide range of programs/projects/areas, such as supply chain management, quality control, or customer service. They work collaboratively with other specialists to achieve the organization’s improvement goals. Their focus is to build the capability of others to deploy improvement strategies, and to manage and deliver successful improvement projects.

Typical activities of Improvement Specialists include:

Roles are commonly found in all industry sectors and functions including:
Job titles associated with the Specialist occupation include, but are not limited to:
How is this improvement specialist program delivered?

At 100% Effective, we offer two ways to become an Improvement Specialist through our apprenticeship program.

With over 25 years of experience in blended learning, we have the expertise and resources to provide face-to-face, virtual, and eLearning delivery. Our virtual approach allows us to train and coach apprentices from anywhere in the country, reducing travel costs and minimizing lost productive time.
For your Improvement Specialist apprenticeship, you will
How will improvement specialist apprentices be assessed?
The End Point Assessment (EPA) process starts once the employer confirms that the apprentice is consistently working at or above the level specified in the occupational standard, the gateway requirements for EPA are met, and evidence can be provided to an EPAO. The gateway requirements include the following:
The portfolio of evidence must include at least one set of evidence for each of the topic areas assessed by the professional discussion, which should include various documents, such as reports from process improvement projects, graphs showing process analysis, charts showing impact readiness, images of House of Quality, and extracts from project plans. The portfolio must also include evidence relating to the preparation and delivery of a training session. The requirements for the training session and evidence are as follows:
Note: The EPAO will provide guidance on what is expected to meet the portfolio requirements.
What advantages can your company gain by training improvement specialist apprentices through our program?
Savings of at least £50,000 per project – Based on our 24 years of experience in delivering Lean Six Sigma. We achieve this by providing multiple support elements for each apprentice, including regular coaching from Master Black Belts with years of experience, formal gate reviews with sponsors and coaches at the end of each DMAIC phase, and readiness discussions prior to the gateway to ensure success.
Each apprentice will also provide other Returns on Investment by completing minor projects to build an impressive portfolio prior to the gateway, as well as writing at least one article that can be used for internal communication and promotion.
Our learning experience is designed around your company and your objectives. Our flexible blended approach means we can support you in any way to meet your industry or business needs. Each apprentice will enjoy a tailored learning experience to maximize their learning and development.
We provide monthly reports on the progress of your apprentices and their major and minor projects, ensuring timely communication for any required internal reporting. We have reliable and professional trainers, coaches, and admin support, all led by a dedicated account manager.
Your apprentices will become more confident and effective. They will be able to identify issues, solve problems, and implement solutions

What can you expect on during your Improvement Specialist apprenticeship programme?

The goal of this improvement specialist apprenticeship is to equip individuals with the necessary skills to identify problems within a company, devise effective solutions, and implement them successfully. The apprenticeship lasts for 14 months and requires dedication to develop both technical improvement skills and softer implementation change manager skills.

To successfully complete this improvement specialist apprenticeship, you will need to undertake a major project that saves an average of £50,000, as well as several minor projects that contribute to improvements in staff and customer satisfaction, quality improvement, time reduction, cost reduction, and delivery improvement. To achieve this, you will attend training courses, coaching sessions, and individual and group project work and research, among other activities. You will work with sponsors, 100% Effective coaches, and other company personnel.

To ensure that you gain hands-on experience, you will spend at least 20% of your time, approximately 6 hours per week, working on business improvement projects, developing confidence, skills, and problem-solving abilities to become a certified lean six sigma level 5 apprentice. 

Coaching sessions and gate reviews with sponsors will be provided to ensure that major and minor projects are completed successfully. This will not only demonstrate your learning but also the application of your learning, which will be valuable to your current and future employers.
Throughout the apprenticeship, you will be exposed to real-world examples of tools, techniques, and approaches through case studies that will stretch your knowledge and challenge you to improve.

We will provide support to ensure that you pass your lean six sigma level 5 apprenticeship through discussions with your coaches, mock exams, portfolio discussion practice, and presentation advice prior to the end-point assessment.

Upon completion of the level 5 apprenticeship, you will obtain an internationally recognized Lean Six Sigma certification, along with several other certificates of achievement such as change management and health and safety, to name just two. We only ask for your commitment for 14 months to enhance your learning and development.

Improvement Specialist Course Content

The Improvement Specialist lean six sigma Level 5  Apprenticeship will cover a broad range of topics and models across the entire DMAIC process – Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control. Our expert trainers and coaches will provide you with the key knowledge, skills and behaviours to effectively identify problems, solve them and then implement them. You will cover all the key aspects of Lean Six Sigma as well as change management and many other key skills required for any Improvement Specialist. You will by the end of your apprenticeship have the following knowledge, skills and behaviours as outlined in the apprentice standard.

Improvement Specialists possess knowledge and understanding of the following areas:
Improvement Specialists have the following skills:

Our Most Popular Locations

Our Six Sigma, Lean and Kaizen classroom training is available in major locations, towns and cities across the UK. Here’s where we get the most demand.

Contact us

    Have a question? We'd love to hear from you.

    • Your details will be collected upon submission of this form. You can view our privacy policy on how we store and manage your information.

    General Enquiries

    Want to place an order, or need more information on one of our courses?

    Live Chat

    Want to place an order, or need more information on one of our courses?

    Our address

    1 Parkview Court, St Pauls Road, Shipley, West Yorkshire, BD18 3DZ

    Contact hours

    Monday – Friday: 8.30am – 5pm