New Collaboration for the Leading Edge Group

The Leading Edge Group has partnered with the University of Ontario Institute of Technology’s Management Development Centre (UOIT-MDC).  Together, they will offer the first set of academically certified Lean programs in Canada.

The Leading Edge Group leads the world in providing Lean education and consultancy.   Together with the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, they will offer both online and on-site Lean training programs to people and groups throughout Canada.

The Leading Edge Group has demonstrated a successful presence in Canada already through its relationships with the Ontario Hospital Association and clients such as Canadian Tire Corporation and Tim Hortons Incorporated.

According to John Welton, VP North Americans for the Leading Edge Group,

“The opportunity to collaborate and partner with UOIT – a rapidly growing institution with a market-driven focus on professional practice, technology and the sciences – is hugely important for our continued growth in the Canadian market. This strategic partnership will provide academic recognition for participants on our programs across all sectors and further establishes us as a knowledge leader in the area of continuous improvement.”

In addition to its Toronto office, the Leading Edge Group also has offices in Ireland, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

The Leading Edge Group entered the market in 2008, and has experienced double-digit growth every year since then.

The relationship benefits the University of Ontario Institute of Technology and its students, as well.

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with Leading Edge Group. Our partnership enables us to provide business leaders from the private and public sectors with a knowledge base and set of skills that are more and more relevant and sought after across industry,” said Dr. Tim McTiernan, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT).

“The partnership further builds on the offerings that we provide through our Management Development Centre. The Lean methodology has become hugely important as a core competency recognized and required across industry so being able to provide entire spectrum of Lean education programs – from beginner to advanced – means we will be able to meet the needs of all organizations and individuals, regardless of where they are on their continuous improvement journey. ”

The University of Ontario Institute of Technology has more than 9,800 students enrolled.  They offer more than 75 programs.

Lean certification and training is increasingly popular amongst private, public, and non-profit sectors.  The programs is organized in belt levels, similar to martial arts.

It begins with a white belt, and culminates in a black belt.  The program focuses on removing waste in a variety of key areas from a company’s processes in order to make them more efficient.

Students learn to recognize areas of waste, develop a plan to eliminate them, put the plan into action, and sustain the changes.

The Lean system was originally developed for manufacturing, but has been proven to be successful in application to many other industries, as well.

The certification has become so desirable that many employers are including belt level requirements in their job postings.

If you are interested in learning more about how Lean training can benefit your career or your organization, contact the Leading Edge Group.  We offer a variety of training courses to suit your needs.

Get in touch with the Leading Edge Group to learn more about Lean today.