Gain recognition for your organisation's improvement training capability
An organisation can become LCS accredited when it has demonstrated that it has a technically robust, well organised, effectively managed, professionally delivered training programme that is aligned to the LCS qualifications framework. Accreditation signifies a commitment to high standards and continuous improvement, enabling the organisation to award Certificates of Lean Competency to those it trains.
The benefits of becoming an LCS accredited organisation
- The accreditation process improves the design, integration, and professionalism of your training, improving the impact it has on your organisation
- The qualification framework is flexible and adapts to YOUR improvement approach, language, and other bespoke elements. We will never enforce a rigid approach to improvement
- It links your training with practical application to directly improve business performance through the delivery of tangible benefits
- Your training receives external endorsement from a leading University at the forefront of Lean and Continuous Improvement research
- LCS qualifications provide motivation, professional development, reward, and recognition to employees
- It provides you with access to the LCS Community and events where you will meet and learn from peers in other organisations who are also deploying improvement programmes.
What our clients say about us
"I would recommend the LCS to other organisations thinking about it because it gets you to think about your training system in a consistent way. It enables you to standardise what you're doing and it also ensures the quality of what you're doing. We're seeing that through the quality of some of our problem solvers, we really know that we're starting to change the mindset within our organisation to problem solving capability."
Ian Munday
Head of CI Technical Delivery, RS Group plc
"LCS accreditation has given us a clear framework and structure for developing capability both within our team and across the wider organisation. The community events offer invaluable opportunities to build Continuous Improvement networks and learn from peers. It also strengthens the credibility of our approach, allowing us to benchmark against formal industry standards. I would recommend LCS accreditation to all organisations wanting to showcase their commitment to Continuous Improvement and drive real business improvements through measurable outcomes.”
Ruth Devenish
Programme Manager Spark, BBC
"As a member of the Lean Enablement team at Florida Blue, I've seen firsthand how the Lean Competency System (LCS) has helped GuideWell, our entities, and the community. LCS has enabled us to streamline processes, reduce waste, and improve the overall customer experience, resulting in increased member satisfaction and retention. Through LCS, we've also been able to drive cultural transformation, empowering employees to think critically and solve problems, which has led to innovative solutions and improved outcomes. "
John Charwinsky
Process Improvement Consultant, Guidewell
"LCS accreditation has been instrumental in strengthening our approach to capability building, both in my current organisation and previously. It has empowered our workforce to recognize the far-reaching impact of accredited methodologies—not only on individual and team performance but also across the organisation and wider industries. It has also provided valuable insights by allowing us to learn from best practices across sectors."
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Director of Transformation and Partnerships, Kent and Medway NHS & Social Care Partnership Trust
Who can become accredited?
Any organisation that has its own improvement training programme for its staff can be accredited – it can be in any sector, language and geographic location. The programme can be at any scale, from a small team delivering occasional training at different levels to an academy delivering a range of courses to many learners.
To be accredited an organisation should have in place:
A continuous improvement methodology and defined approach to improvement
An improvement training programme in place that can
be aligned to the LCS framework
Delivery resources and experienced coaches
LCS Academy in a Box
If you don't have your own improvement training programme is place, don't worry we have ready-made LCS training programmes you can license from us.
Key benefits of our ‘LCS Academy in a Box’:
- Save time and money with our LCS approved content, off the shelf, for both service & manufacturing businesses.
- Access over 50 online learning modules on a wide range of CI topics
- Scale your programme across your organisation globally by implementing a blended learning approach
How does an organisation become
accredited?
To become LCS accredited for the first time, an organisation must have an existing improvement training programme or system, be in the process of developing one, or licence LCS Academy in a Box from us.
A submission portfolio is assembled by the organisation which is evaluated by the LCS to ensure that it is able to deliver effective knowledge and practical capability, whilst maintaining LCS standards over the two year licence period.
The accreditation process varies on the levels a company is applying for and the complexity of the courses. The accreditation process typically takes 1 to 3 months but the application has been completed in 7 days.
Are you a Small Business?
A company may wish to consider Small Business Lean accreditation if it is a small business, a start-up, or a training company with limited resources. The main difference between Standard Accreditation and Small Business Accreditation is that Knowledge Test Assessments are not carried out by the company, but by the LCS centrally.
Are you a Consultancy or Training Provider?
A consultancy with a CI training capability can become an Accredited Certifier of Lean Competency, enabling it to issue LCS Certificates of Lean Competency to learners who progress through its training. It’s a valuable addition to the consultancy's service, as building its clients' CI capability is critical in the journey to developing a sustainable CI culture.
How much does accreditation cost?
Accreditation fees vary depending on several factors, including the accreditation type required, number of certificates to be issued and sector.
Certify your workforce
Once your Lean training programme has become LCS accredited, you can issue LCS Certificates to potentially your entire workforce, thus providing employees with reward, recognition and professional development opportunities, as well as laying the platform for the development of a sustainable CI culture.
Renewing Accreditation
An organisation can renew its accreditation after two years. The process involves completing an online accreditation review questionnaire. This is a light touch process compared to the initial accreditation and essentially records a review of the previous two years and captures any changes made or planned.
The LCS Qualifications Framework
The LCS qualifications framework has seven levels of competency covering the spectrum of Lean knowledge and application. An organisation can start the accreditation at any level depending on how advanced their improvement programme is. While the framework requires a number of subject areas are covered at each level, there is flexibility for the organization to choose the tools, techniques and language to fit with their culture.
Level 1: Fundamental
- Level 1a: Awareness
- Level 1b: Diagnosis & Analysis
- Level 1c: Improvement & Implementation
Level 2: Technical
- Level 2a: Implementation & Design
- Level 2b: Implementation & Leadership
Level 3: Strategic
- Level 3a: Strategic Enterprise
- Level 3b: Strategic Supply Chain