More of a Certification Mill Than Actual Lean Six Sigma Training
I attended 3 of the 5 days of Star Global College's free Lean Six Sigma Green Belt training and completed their Yellow Belt course and exam.
I work in operations and already have experience with process improvement. I signed up to learn more about formal Lean Six Sigma methodologies. I knew it was free, so my expectations weren't crazy high, but I certainly expected more than this.
The Yellow Belt exam was a joke.
It had 100 questions, and EVERY SINGLE correct answer was A. The questions were ridiculously easy, and the course material appeared AI-generated. The irony of an organization teaching quality control not quality-checking its own exams is pretty incredible.
The Green Belt training wasn't much better.
During the 3 days I attended, most of the material was the same foundational content from Yellow Belt. On Day 3, we were literally going through Yellow Belt slides.
Then there's the constant Black Belt sales pitch.
Every day, the $199 Black Belt certification was promoted directly in the training slides. According to the instructors, everyone takes the Green Belt exam together on Friday, and those who pay for Black Belt go straight into taking that exam together afterward. No separate advanced lectures. I didn't attend Friday, but that's the process they repeatedly described.
I'm sorry, but how does taking two group exams after the same introductory training demonstrate Black Belt-level competency?
The dean's behavior was another huge issue.
Throughout the sessions, he regularly spoke down to participants asking questions. People having trouble accessing materials were called disruptive. Another participant raised concerns about accreditation and a delayed certification and was publicly characterized as a distraction.
For a program that constantly talks about leadership and professionalism, the lack of both was pretty shocking.
What bothers me most is how heavily they market to veterans and transitioning military members.
These are people genuinely trying to build their careers, and I worry they're being encouraged to spend money on credentials without fully understanding their value.
I have no issue with using free training to promote paid courses. But paid courses should go beyond the free ones and actually offer something to participants.
If you're considering paying for one of their certifications, please research whether employers recognize it first.
There's a big difference between learning Lean Six Sigma and just buying a certificate that says you know it.







