Give your improvement specialists the technical mastery and leadership edge to drive measurable, lasting change — fully funded through the apprenticeship levy.
via apprenticeship levy
month programme
live workshops
The Leading Operational Excellence apprenticeship is a 14-month, fully funded programme for section managers, operations managers, improvement leads, and process analysts who want to move beyond firefighting and drive real, measurable change in their organisations.
Across 10 workshops, learners develop advanced Lean and Six Sigma skills, covering process mapping, statistical analysis, root cause analysis, and data-driven decision-making, and apply them to live improvement projects in their own workplace. Delivery is flexible, with organisations able to choose between fully remote, blended, or face-to-face, depending on what works best for their team.
There is no cost to eligible employers, and at the end of it, learners come away with a recognised Level 5 Improvement Specialist qualification, plus a management certificate included within the programme at no extra charge.
This programme has been deliberately built for specialists who need both technical mastery and leadership credibility. It combines advanced Six Sigma, statistical analysis, and project management with embedded Core360 leadership, not as an add-on, but by design.
A wraparound leadership qualification covering self-awareness, leading people, managing performance, and driving results, funded within the programme at no extra cost.
Build strategic relationships, resolve conflict, and drive team engagement and alignment
Understand business risk, legislation, and how to present compelling improvement proposals
Apply Lean thinking, policy deployment, and change methods to drive real improvements
Use SPC, capability analysis, and regression techniques to identify and prioritise improvements
Manage timelines, risk, governance, and compliance across complex improvement projects
Lead teams using KPIs, ROI/VOI analysis, and data-driven decision-making to optimise outcomes
Build strategic relationships, manage conflict, and foster team resilience
Develop emotional intelligence and servant leadership to inspire stakeholders
Understand business risks and develop improvement proposals for stakeholders
Lead teams with performance metrics, ROI, and evidence-based decision-making
Apply Lean culture and change methods to drive continuous improvement
Manage projects, risk, compliance, and governance for sustainable outcomes
Apply process modelling and root cause analysis to prioritise improvements
Plan data acquisition and conduct capability analysis with Statistical Process Control
Test data, plan experiments, and apply Failure Mode Avoidance
Build business cases and apply advanced project management tools
Speak to our team — no obligation, just a conversation.
The programme runs across 10 workshops over 14 months, followed by end-point assessment.
The programme is fully funded for apprenticeship levy payers, meaning there is no direct cost to eligible employers. If your organisation does not pay the apprenticeship levy, you can still access significant funding for this programme. Speak to our team to check your organisation’s eligibility.
Learners achieve a qualification equivalent to a Level 5 Improvement Specialist standard, recognised across the UK for its advanced Lean, Six Sigma, and operational improvement.
This programme suits leaders who want to drive meaningful, measurable improvement across their operations.
Learners need to be in employment, and their employer needs to be eligible to access apprenticeship funding, which covers most organisations with a payroll over £3m, and many smaller ones too. Not sure if that’s you? Just give us a call and we will check in minutes.
Core 360: Master Leadership Excellence is a series of masterclasses woven into the programme to develop the broader management behaviours. It is covering strategic planning, resource management, project delivery, and leading change. This is funded within the programme at no extra cost.
Whether you want to pick up the phone and speak to us, or drop us an email, we’ll let you decide.
Learnmore Network, The Lantern, 75 Hampstead Road, London, NW1 2PL
