Indiana University Northwest’s Lean Six Sigma (LSS) intermediate- and expert-level certifications, known as the green and black belt designations, respectively, are available to business professionals in Northwest Indiana. Enrollees need not be IU Northwest students to take advantage of this certification program.
The expert-level Black Belt program will be offered from Sept. 12 to Nov. 17. Classes will meet every Wednesday from 6 to 9 p.m. and most Saturdays, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The deadline to register for the fall Black Belt Certification course is Sept. 2. Registrants must have completed an approved Green Belt program during the last three years. The next Green Belt program is planned for the Spring of 2019. Green belts demonstrate knowledge and application of LSS principles through successful completion of course work and an LSS project, equipping them with the skill and training to solve most process-related problems.
Lean Six Sigma is a methodology that provides the strategy, tools and techniques to significantly improve the performance of an organization relative to processes, services, employees, customer satisfaction and the business bottom line. It combines the concept of Lean, which focuses on the elimination of waste and non-value added activities, with the structured, data-driven analytical tools of Six Sigma.
Jana Szostek, director of the Center for Management Development at IU Northwest, said the program is ideal for those seeking to enhance their business credentials, and especially business owners and managers interested in taking their business to the next level.
“The Lean Six Sigma methodology will help any business be competitive in our region, as well as our increasingly global marketplace,” Szostek said. “It has become the gold standard of quality and continuous improvement and is a highly sought-after certification. Its methods are applicable to any organization.”
For more information about IU Northwest’s School of Business and Economics and the LSS certification programs, call 219-980-6910 or visit www.iun.edu/business.
About the School of Business and Economics
The region’s longest-running AASCB-accredited public business school, the School of Business and Economics initially earned this certification in 2004. AACSB Accreditation is widely regarded as the highest level of accreditation for business schools. Only 15 percent of business schools domestically and less than 5 percent of business schools internationally earn this prestigious certification of quality. Because of its AACSB International accreditation, the School offers its high achieving students membership in Beta Gamma Sigma, the International Business Honor Society.
