The answer to this question, I believe, absolutely comes down to the circumstances and requirements of the individual asking it. I have coached multiple people through both routes and the result is similar, however the learning journey is quite different. To conclude what route is best for you let us start by understanding a bit of a breakdown of what we are talking about!
For a long time, learning Continuous Improvement (CI) methodology has been through formal Lean 6 Sigma belt qualifications known as Yellow Belt, Green Belt, Black Belt and Master Black Belt. (More on that here). There are lots of training providers and consultancy firms that will deliver this training for you. Previously it would mean 2 or 3 blocks of learning, normally for a week or so at a time at the training providers facility, or if your company is doing a mass training roll out the training provider may come to your place of work and deliver a tailored course. More recently, with the mass uptake of virtual meetings, many providers offer the training online, over several days spread out over a few months, which has made this route a lot more attractive as you lose less time away from the job. The training will typically take you through the Define, Measure, Improve, Analyse and Control improvement project methodology known as DMAIC and then the qualification is achieved by successfully completing and submitting for review an improvement project. You need to have followed the DMAIC method where the assessor will be looking for the evidence you are confident using all the tools and techniques that have been taught to you. You typically have 6-12 months to complete and submit your project post training, and in most cases, you will also have to sit an open book, multiple choice exam. Easy!
So, what is the improvement apprenticeship then? Well, it’s relatively new, starting around 2018 I believe. Where the institute of apprenticeships has developed these new courses, segmented into ‘levels’ (e.g. Level 4 improvement practitioner) to be comparable with the more traditional Green, Black and Master Black Belt certifications. Comparison below:
· Lean 6 Sigma Yellow Belt > Level 3 improvement Technician
· Lean 6 Sigma Green Belt > level 4 Improvement Practitioner
· Lean 6 Sigma Black Belt > Level 5 Improvement Specialist
· Lean 6 sigma Master Black Belt > Level 6 Improvement Leader
The differences are the method of demonstrating your competence, the price, and the duration. Rather than completing a single project to demonstrate the use of CI tools you must produce a portfolio of evidence against a series of detailed competencies statements (you can find the full details on the apprenticeship website before you chose) which can take anywhere between 14 and 36 months to complete. Furthermore, you can choose to build you evidence up to different grades from pass criteria, to Merit or to Distinction grade. It is likely your evidence will come from multiple projects in order to hit all the competencies required. For perspective, one learner I was involved with on a level 5/Black Belt level, submitted their portfolio of evidence at 250 slides. The competencies go beyond just the core CI tools. You will need to demonstrate things like coaching others or influencing change and may have to record a video of yourself delivering training. In addition to this you need to demonstrate you have met the monthly requirement for off the job learning, around 20 hours a month I believe not doing your normal job and working towards your qualification. And lastly you also must sit an exam. So, it is harder, bigger, broader, and very admin heavy in the write up of your portfolio, oh and considerably more expensive, between £4,000 and £14,000 depending on what level you go for.
So why would you choose this option? Well depending on your employer, you may be able to use the apprenticeship levy to fund the courses in which case you can see it as cheaper than the belt qualification route and you could conclude that harder, bigger, broader means your better qualified at the end of it. In fact, this Is the general believe in the industry. For example, a Level 4 improvement practitioner apprenticeship is aimed at being comparable with, a lean 6 Sigma Green Belt but it is deemed a slightly higher qualification. Somewhere between Green and Black Belt. I have heard of organisations awarding 'senior’ green belt certifications alongside the apprenticeship completion as a nod to it being slightly higher certification. But perhaps the main reason you might chose this route is that it is completely standardised and will become more recognised at it establishes itself. Whereas with a belt qualification, one provider could in theory train you completely differently to another, and you would get the same worded certificate at the end of it. So, if a potential new employer is looking at 2 CVs. One with a level 4 improvement practitioner qualification and one with a Lean 6 sigma green belt, the improvement practitioner would offer a guarantee of the quality of the certification. The Green Belt qualification could be massively varied in quality depending on the provider or even something obtained from a short self-learning course online. And a side note, if you like to keep your linked in up to date, the apprenticeship certification on your profile will link directly to the full competency assessment so it will be very clear what you’ve been trained and certified in, which is quite smart.
Now we know, what would my recommendation be? So, if your already employed, and looking to develop through the organisation you are already at then I would absolutely choose the more traditional lean 6 Sigma Belts. It will teach you everything you need to know without a HUGE burden of admin complying with the strict rules and requirements of the apprenticeship scheme. I have seen many learners get bogged down, lost and demotivated by the vast amount of 'writing up' you have to do. You can get round the ambiguity in how good your certification is by choosing a British Quality Foundation (BQF) certified provider. Which means they have been deemed to be delivering the course to the accepted standard, and you can often opt to pay a few hundred pounds more to have the BQF accredit you personally and give you a certificate which puts some serious weight behind your achievement (recommended). Your employer might push you down the apprenticeship route just to use the levy fund, I would say the money you deem to save there, is quickly lost by the amount of time they will lose from you while you are writing up your portfolio. It is actually a great shame, as its overwhelmingly positive to see the qualification developed into the apprenticeship, I think it's just a bit to new at the moment and I hope they figure out the administration burden to make it more attractive in the future. All that said, if one of your key drivers is to obtain the qualification for your CV in order to develop your career outside of your current organisation, or if you genuinely have the learning time to do the apprenticeship route, (your new to role or in a training/development role) then it may be worth considering.
I absolutely welcome your thoughts if anyone else has experience of this or a differing view, let us know what you think!? If you found this useful, let us know! And if your soon to be a CI facilitator, check out our CI facilitation tool box.
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