Make work better where it happens.
Develop confident improvement technicians who use Lean and Six Sigma to remove waste, solve problems with data and deliver a measurable improvement in their own area of your organisation.
Develop the people who fix the everyday problems in your processes.
Improvement technicians apply Lean and Six Sigma thinking to the work in front of them. They remove waste and frustration, make decisions with data, and coach colleagues to see improvement as everyone’s job.
Remove waste
Spot the eight wastes and apply 5S, standard work, visual controls, kaizen and error-proofing to simplify how work flows.
Measure with data
Plan data collection, check measurement systems and use charts, statistics and capability analysis to see how a process really performs.
Find root causes
Use cause and effect diagrams, 5 Whys and graphical analysis to fix the source of a problem, not its symptoms.
Make it stick
Build control and reaction plans, update standard operating procedures and report progress so gains are kept long after the project ends.
The full occupational standard, built around a real project.
Improvement knowledge
Lean and Six Sigma principles, structured problem definition, project and change management, team roles, compliance, health and safety, and working safely in a regulated environment.
Practical improvement skills
Process mapping, voice of the customer, data collection and analysis, control charts, root cause analysis, prioritising solutions, benchmarking and building control plans.
Professional behaviours
Drive for results, team working, professionalism, safe working and a commitment to their own continuing development.
People delivering or supporting improvement in their own area.
The programme sits at the level widely associated with Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt work, and suits every sector: manufacturing, logistics, financial services, health and the public sector.
- Initial assessment and an individual learning plan built on what each apprentice already knows
- Fortnightly live virtual workshops with breakout activities
- Short online pre-work before each session and a practical task after it
- A live workplace improvement project that grows with the curriculum
- Regular progress reviews with the apprentice, line manager and development coach
- Tutors and coaches with current industry experience
- Support with English and maths where needed
- Mock assessments and end-point assessment preparation
23 sessions that follow the arc of a real improvement project.
The curriculum is sequenced along the DMAIC cycle. Apprentices learn each stage in the workshop and then apply it straight away to their own workplace project.
Define
Set up for success: principles, teams and a clearly scoped problem.
- 01Compliance
- 02Team Formation & Leadership
- 03Lean Tools
- 04Principles & Methods
- 05Project Management
- 06Change Management
- 07Project Selection & Scoping
- 08Problem Definition
- 09Voice of the Customer
Measure
Map the process and collect data you can trust.
- 10Process Mapping & Analysis
- 11Data Acquisition & Sampling
- 12Measurement Systems (Gauge R&R)
- 13Basic Statistics
- 14Pivot Tables
- 15Control Charts
- 16Capability & Performance
Analyse
Find the real causes and choose what to fix first.
- 17Root Cause Analysis
- 18Identification & Prioritisation
Improve
Test solutions and learn from how others do it.
- 19Experimentation (PDCA)
- 20Benchmarking
Control
Sustain the gains and communicate the results.
- 21Sustainability & Control
- 22Self-Development
- 23Communication & Reporting
A completed, measurable improvement delivered in your organisation.
Less waste, lower cost
Remove non-value-added steps, rework and waiting from everyday processes, and cut the hidden cost of defects.
More consistent quality
Reduce variation and avoidable errors so processes deliver the right result first time, every time.
An improvement culture
Grow people who keep improving after the apprentice finishes, and who coach colleagues to do the same.
Independently assessed at the end of the programme.
From induction, apprentices know exactly what gateway and end-point assessment require, and every session builds towards it.
Multiple-choice exam
Tests understanding of improvement principles, tools and methods across the standard.
Improvement project report
A report on the apprentice’s own workplace project, followed by a presentation and questioning.
Professional discussion
A structured conversation with the assessor, underpinned by a log of evidence built throughout the programme.
A springboard, not an end point.
Once apprentices can find and fix process problems, they can move on to leading bigger improvements or to putting AI and automation behind them.
Improvement Technician
Deliver and support improvement in your own area using Lean and Six Sigma.
AI and Automation Practitioner
Turn the improvements they identify into working AI and automation solutions that save time, cut errors and scale across teams.
Explore AI and Automation Practitioner →LEVEL 5Improvement Specialist
Lead complex DMAIC projects at Black Belt level, apply advanced statistics and develop improvement capability in others.
Explore Improvement Specialist →Ready to build improvement capability in your team?
Speak to City Skills about using the Level 3 Improvement Technician apprenticeship to develop employees who can find waste, fix problems with data and make the improvements last.
Or call us on 0203 870 4836