In September, NIU Offers Pair of Lean Six Sigma Workshop Series

Northern Illinois University (NIU) is offering a pair of Lean Six Sigma workshops later this month, both a Yellow/Green Belt series that starts on Saturday, Sept. 12 and a Black Belt series starting on Saturday, Sept. 19.

Accommodating work schedules, both series are delivered from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. over five Saturdays at the NIU Naperville campus, 1120 E. Diehl Road. The Yellow/Green Belt dates are Sept. 12, Sept. 19, Sept. 26, Oct. 3 and Oct. 17, while the Black Belt dates are Sept. 19, Sept. 26, Oct. 3, Oct. 10 and Oct. 17.

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Certification in Yellow/Green Belt is required to enroll in the Black Belt series.

Designed for professionals seeking to sharpen process improvement skills, the workshops blend classroom instruction with hands-on simulations led by NIU faculty and experienced Master Black Belt trainers.

Participants will gain the tools and techniques to identify inefficiencies, reduce waste and drive measurable improvements in their organizations. The program culminates in a certification project, with support provided throughout the process.

Over the past 15 years, NIU has trained over 1,000 industry professionals from a variety of industries throughout the Northern Illinois area. Among the professionals who have benefited from the workshops are those in healthcare, manufacturing, public service and logistics.

Key features include:

• In-person instruction at NIU Naperville, taught by faculty and industry experts with Fortune 500 experience.
• Flexible and convenient scheduling across five Saturday sessions (as noted above).
• A blend of hard and soft skills for well-rounded professional development.
• Certification support to help participants successfully complete their projects.

Michael Glowa, plant director of Elk Grove Village-based creative werks LLC, was taking on additional responsibilities when he took NIU's Lean Six Sigma Black Belt workshop a few years ago.

"I was put in charge of a project in our manufacturing department that had been experiencing challenges with defects and waste," Glowa recalled. "By immediately applying the principles that I learned, I was able to lead a team that reduced materials costs in one scrap commodity by $72,000 over a 12-month span."

Christine Nguyen, chair of NIU's Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering in the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology, called Lean Six Sigma "one of the most valuable skill sets for professionals seeking to improve quality, efficiency and performance."

"Participants leave these workshops prepared to identify opportunities, solve complex problems and lead improvement initiatives," Nguyen said. "Participants build the skills needed to make data-driven decisions and create lasting value in the workplace."

Registration for both workshop series is open now. To learn more or apply, visit go.niu.edu/sixsigma or contact Dr. Nguyen at 815-753-6748 or cnguyen@niu.edu.