ATLANTA – Wait times to get driver’s licenses have shrunk every month for the past 13, according to the Georgia Department of Driver Services, and executives said Monday that further improvements are likely to result from a system-wide training program.
Called DDS University, the 2-year-old program focuses initially on front-line, customer-service managers to help them be better at communications and supervision. So far, 17 of the 20 people who signed up for the two initial classes have completed them. And another 90 managers are eligible.
Driver Services Commissioner Rob Mikell said the reason he wanted to start the courses is because there was no formalized training for advancement.
“Over the years, in a lot of cases, if you managed a field office, it was kind of like, ‘Hey, you’ve done a great job issuing driver’s licenses, and the manager position is open. Tomorrow morning, you need to unlock the door. Here are the keys,'” he said. “We feel like we’ve moved a long way since then.”
Since an entry-level job at DDS only requires a high school diploma or GED, some workers who have risen to management posts have little or no advanced training. So Mikell assigned Reggie Smith, the department’s training coordinator, to develop some courses.
Smith tapped Georgia Piedmont Technical College to design the curriculum and provide on-site instructors for the two, 10-hour courses on business writing and time management. Working with the college kept the costs to just $62 per student or even less for online courses.
The college’s president, Jabari Simama, said teaming up with DDS results in a broad impact.
“Not only do both state agencies benefit from this collaboration, but workforce communities throughout the state will see the value brought by enhanced communication skills,” he said.
One of the managers who volunteered for a course was Aretha Wright, manager of the Atlanta Customer Service Center.
“The business-writing portion of it is going to get you to think about what you’re saying and how you’re saying it and how to write professional memos and disciplinary documents,” she said, adding that she’s shared what she learned with coworkers.
DDS plans to enroll more managers as well as give them access to existing technical college courses, both online and on campus.
Smith said the driving public benefits as much as the department from having managers with greater professional skills.
“We honestly fee that by strengthening the base – the employees that are actually facing the public – and giving them the necessary and progressive skills that they need to become better people and better employees, it’s going to just help us become a phenomenal organization,” he said.
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