Scottish Enterprise SMAS Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Programme

Scottish Enterprise's next Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt programme is scheduled to take place from Monday 12 May to Friday 16 May 2025. It will be delivered 100% virtually, through Microsoft Teams.

What is Lean Six Sigma?

Lean Six Sigma is a structured problem-solving methodology. It combines the philosophies of Six Sigma and Lean to improve flow and reduce process variation.

It is 100% focused on consistently delivering what the customer wants, using a five-step methodology: define, measure, analyse, improve, and control (DMAIC). Data analysis and a basic toolset are used to get to the root cause of an issue and come up with suitable solutions to resolve it and make the improvements stick.

Who should attend?

The Yellow Belt programme is designed for people in any position below senior management in a business who are keen to become change agents or improve their problem-solving ability. The programme will provide the knowledge and skills you need to embed the standards that matter to you the most.

Experience in continuous improvement is preferred but not essential. Having an open mind and an interest in learning and applying new thinking is key. You should be familiar with IT and able to engage with others, as the projects are team based.

What are the benefits?

During the course, you'll develop an understanding of:

- When to use the Lean Six Sigma approach in continuous improvement

- The mechanics of DMAIC and its structured approach to problem-solving

- The importance of data and why data is essential in problem-solving

You'll also get:

- A basic toolset to use in improvement projects of all shapes and sizes

- Introductory skills in data analysis and interpretation

- Introductory skills in project management

- Team-leading skills and the ability to contribute to other improvement projects as a team member

Each delegate will receive a personalised certificate to promote your professional development.

Yellow Belt Award requirements

There is no test or exam, but you'll need to attend 100% of the training sessions.

You'll also need to:

- Deliver a suitable improvement project that demonstrates all phases of DMAIC

- Submit a written project report for assessment, with feedback given

- Present your improvement project to senior management in the business

Key information

The training runs from Monday 12 to Friday 16 May 2025.

The sessions are held from 9:30am to 12:30pm each day, with breaks built in.

The cohort is limited to six delegates.

The programme will run according to the following schedule:

1. An initial meeting will be arranged between you and your sponsor before the training starts, to prepare for the programme, discuss suitable projects and answer any questions.

2. You'll undertake a suitable improvement project.

3. One-to-one coaching sessions will be arranged for after the training and provided throughout the project timeline.

4. You'll write up the project and submits your report for assessment.

5. You'll present your project to your senior management team.

6. A one-to-one feedback session will be held to discuss your project report.

The cost of the programme is £950 + VAT for each delegate, or £650 + VAT for small-to-midsized enterprises (SMEs).