Is there one organization that certifies Six Sigma black belt candidates, or many? What are the differences?
I am considering an online Six Sigma training regimen, but I’m concerned that the ‘certification’ I receive at the end will not have the proper ‘value’.
There are many, many, many organizations that "certify" people as six sigma "black belts". The most highly regarded are Motorola (where the term was coined, the methodology pioneered and the name was trademarked), and General Electric (an early adopter of six sigma). At the next level below that would probably be the American Society for Quality, a recognized trade association for quality professionals. However, many smaller consulting and training firms also provide certification. The value of certification from these groups is more questionable and subjective. Many large organizations will engage one of these firms to train internal six sigma green/black belts, and place quite a bit of value on the training, but that value is usually not as highly regarded by other employers as certifications from one of the above mentioned sources.