Certified Lean Apprentice

Our Lean Apprentice certification course teaches foundational concepts of Lean methodology. Lean Apprentice students gain essential knowledge, setting the stage for future skill development. This introductory program equips Lean Apprentices to contribute effectively to project teams and support continuous improvement efforts, laying the groundwork for a Lean journey and potential career advancement.

Completing the Lean Apprentice certification lays the groundwork for organizational value enhancement. Equipped with fundamental Lean principles, individuals can support process improvements, collaborate effectively, and promote a culture of continuous improvement, driving organizational progress.

The Lean Apprentice certification validates your understanding of fundamental Lean principles and methodologies, offering employers a trusted assurance of your knowledge. As members of the Credential Registry, an organization dedicated to providing up-to-date information about all credentials, we ensure that your certification is recognized and valued, providing up-to-date information about all credentials.

Through our Lean Apprentice certification, you gain valuable skills and become part of a thriving community of Lean professionals. As Thom Mandl emphasizes, engaging with this community offers invaluable networking opportunities and access to industry events, allowing you to stay current with best practices and emerging trends.

Self-improvement is essential for thriving in today's world. Investing in personal development not only enhances individual capabilities, but also contributes to organizational success. People who continuously seek opportunities for growth, bring fresh perspectives and innovative ideas to their teams. This fosters increased collaboration, successful problem solving, and overall team effectiveness.

Lean Apprentice, this certification, is the introductory certification and is designed for everyone at an organization which is pursuing a Lean Transformation.

Lean Practitioner gives you hands-on experience leading a value stream mapping project.

Lean Expert gives you hands-on experience leading a problem solving project.

Lean Master walks you through an assessment of your organization’s Lean Transformation program and helps you build an improvement roadmap.

You can learn more at Lean Education Standards.

Historically, belts have been used for Six Sigma certifications, a methodology focused on reducing variation. Some companies have applied the belts to Lean training. The yellow belt would be a close match to apprentice, but it can be confusing as an apprentice practices Lean and a yellow belt is focused on Six Sigma.

Collaborating with our customers and others, we have gone with Apprentice as it’s a clear connection to a role required at organizations pursuing a Lean Transformation.

You can learn more at Lean Education Standards.

For most people, your time investment will be about 6 to 8 hours. Since the course is self-paced, you can spread your time as fast or as slow as you want.

Your assigned coach, will be available based on your preferences. You can connect with your coach via email, telephone, Zoom meetings, or through the learning management system. This customized approach allows you to get the most out of the course.

We are passionate about developing Lean leaders through education, application, and coaching. You will not be alone on this journey of discovery.

Yes. It is very common for an organization to send waves of people through training. A Lean Transformation program is more energized and successful when everyone is on the same page.

One common approach is having 8 to 12 people take the class together and work on 4 to 6 projects. You can imagine the impact 4 to 6 projects can have on your organization!

Contact us to learn more.

Our Lean certifications need to be renewed every 5 years.

Our certification maintenance program is focused on keeping your skills refreshed through continuing education, improvement projects, and giving back.

Find more at Certification Maintenance.

Research into Lean Six Sigma reveals it is much more about Six Sigma and tends to have very little about the rich features of a Lean Transformation. Lean Six Sigma will often treat Lean as a collection of tools, you can sometime use when you work on a Six Sigma project.

Descriptions of Lean Six Sigma will often place a strong emphasis on using the Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control (DMAIC) methodology. This methodology is big for Six Sigma projects and not very common for Lean projects.

You can learn more at What is Lean Six Sigma?

Yes. Lean certifications can easily fit into other management systems.

Lean is more than a set of tools, it’s a mindset of empowerment and improvement. This transformational mindset can support many successful management systems.