7/20/2015
Story by Anne Christiansen-Bullers, 913-469-8500 ext. 4184, abullers@jccc.edu
JCCC to offer Lean Six Sigma class online for fall 2015
Save time, save money and improve quality of processes within your business
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – If you have been looking for a way to make your business or non-profit work more efficiently, you may doubt that simply taking an online class will help you reach your goal.
Steve Webster, a certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt and an instructor at Johnson County Community College, is ready to accept that challenge.
“If it’s a process, we can improve it,” Webster said.
Webster is teaching Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Online, a combination of two on-campus classes he’s taught previously that focus on improving and standardizing results. The program is offered through JCCC Continuing Education.
The difference
- The online class has three main differences, as Webster explained.
- The class is not a click-through-on-your-own garble of information. Webster will use chat rooms, video conferencing, distance-learning software and email to connect with students.
- Anyone in the world may enroll and participate. The student only needs an Internet connection and the schedule to make most of the 32 evening chat sessions.
- The final project will be a “true-life” example of a process that needs improving. Students can bring a problem directly from their work or business, or Webster can suggest a non-profit.
Throughout the16-week class, Webster will facilitate discussions, offer suggestions and consult on the final project.
Jennifer Winchester, program director for business workshops and seminars at JCCC, finds that part the most exciting.
“It’s like hiring your own consultant, in a way,” she said. “You have Steve’s expertise at your disposal throughout the project, and to do that in the private sector would cost far more than the class.”
Webster’s expertise includes 30 years as a management consultant using the tools he’ll be teaching. Over the years, he’s solved countless problems and saved millions for companies ranging in size from Fortune-100 corporations to small, family-owned companies, he said.
His specialties are Lean Six Sigma and problem solving.
Lean Six Sigma, explained
What exactly is Lean Six Sigma? It’s a program that concentrates on two outcomes. The “Lean” analyzes a process so no time or other resource is wasted along the way. The “Six Sigma” studies the process to make sure the same results happen each and every time.
Both are very important to project management and quality control, and most businesses can benefit from it, Webster said.
“I’m here to teach students to be change agents,” Webster said. “By the time the class is over, the students will be lean, mean problem-solving machines.”
The class also prepares students for the Lean Six Sigma certification exam, offered by American Society for Quality (ASQ).
Getting more for less
For $3,299, students enrolled in JCCC’s Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Online course receive convenience and independence to study whenever and wherever on the online platform, along with personalized, one-on-one instruction with a team cohort.
Comparable, national online classes range from $3,850 (with no instructor-led facilitation) to more than $6,000 (with instructor coaching sessions available by phone).
For more information on Lean Six Sigma Online, consult the FAQ sheet. Click on the catalog entry to enroll or call Continuing Education between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at 913-469-2323.
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