How long does it take to become a Green Belt? That depends on two things: which form of the course you choose, and whether you also want to be fully certified. The course itself takes five or seven days, or you take it as home study. If you want the full Green Belt certificate, you then also do a practical assignment, which takes about four months on average.
Three ways to take the course
At Lean Six Sigma Groep you can take the Green Belt in three ways, as shown in the image at the top of this article:
- The regular Green Belt course: 7 days, in three blocks spread over about six to eight weeks. Between blocks you work on your practical assignment. Because participants bring questions from their own project, the course pays a lot of attention to practice.
- The Green Belt Bootcamp: 5 consecutive days. You are fully immersed in the theory, and gain the practical experience afterwards.
- Green Belt home study: e-learning at your own pace, about 7 to 9 half-days, finishing with a practice day.
The whole route to the certificate
After the course you receive a certificate of attendance. For the full Green Belt certificate there are two more steps, as shown below.
- The theory exam. On the regular course and the Bootcamp you can take the exam on the last day, after a practice exam. Allow about 8 to 16 hours of preparation. Read more about the Green Belt exam.
- The practical assignment. As project leader of an improvement team you tackle a real problem in an organisation: you find the causes, devise a solution together with the people in the process and implement it. Such a project takes about four months on average; a sharply defined problem can be faster. After the exam you have at most eighteen months. A Black Belt from Lean Six Sigma Groep assesses the assignment.
The exam and practice certification are not a standard part of the course; you add them when you register. The course includes two coaching sessions, and if you want more support during the project you can book a package of coaching hours.
Do you have to do a practical assignment?
No, you don’t. You can take only the course, optionally with the exam. You are then a trained Green Belt, but not fully certified. Still, we recommend a project: only once you have gone through the steps of DMAIC yourself, with real data and real people, does the theory fall into place. What makes a good project is covered in what is a good Lean Six Sigma project?
Dates, prices and locations are on the Green Belt course page.