I have basic knowledge of LEAN from my MBA but no working experience in this area. Is a Six Sigma course likely to get me a job without prior experience? I am not sure how much demand there is for Six Sigma knowledge. Any advice would be useful. Thanks

Six sigma was (and still is) very popular in the manufacturing environment. Now, more and more service industry like Banks, Insurance etc are also implementing Six Sigma to improve their service. Check out the Service Six Sigma courses.

Welcome to my statistical dojo Simon-san.A word of caution, 6 Sigma and SPC is very broad so when choosing a subject matter to complete the various stages....be wary of what you want to achieve with it (i.e. focus on manufacture, procurement etc. from the start)Try and find out what companies have a specific focus on 6 Sigma as you'll generally find a bias in American firms and companies over European companies.Six-Sigma is really a set of tools that have been evolved and repackaged, applied to problems that would not traditionally be addressed using stat analysis.I'm going through my Six Sigma master black-belt having done green and black (and associated projects that are required at certification) and find it pretty challenging to use the full discipline.

Thanks both. So, can a Six Sigma (service) course get me a job without prior experience, though? Or do most firms look for specialists with a few years of experience?

The course itselt will not guarantee you a job. A certificate has much better chance.Most organizations interested in six sigma professionals, have their own training and certificates. As a student, you may look, if you are eligible for Green Belt (the lowest certificate) from ASQ. www.asq.org. The black belt normally requires 3 years of experience plus a documented project. I just have to warn you that six sigma depends alot on statistical tools (like SPC and DOE) and the DOE is a little tough unless you love stat. Email me if you have any questions mike_hirz@yahoo.com

Does anyone know of public sector organisations buying six sigma?