Oien spearheads DMV mentorship program

With at least a quarter of ITD staff having come into the organization in just the last two years, there is a clear need to enhance the training and support for newer employees beyond their initial training and six-month probationary period. A mentorship program was rolled out in DMV in February to do just that.

They have implemented a voluntary six-month mentorship program, pairing more seasoned employees with new staffers to further their technical knowledge and foster better understanding of their unit and ITD.

"New employees need more of this during their first year of employment. Unfortunately, existing training systems did not provide it," said DMV Trainer Leslie Oien. "While this can be done on an informal, as-needed basis, it has been my experience that this is not sufficient."

Oien said that new employees often think they are asking too many questions and are concerned about being perceived as incompetent. "But by having a more formal program where there is a scheduled time for them to ask questions and seek additional training, they now feel empowered and in charge of their progress."

The mentor program has moved from being trainer-driven to being employee-driven, allowing newbies to take ownership of their progress and allowed to seek assistance on the tasks, topics, or items that they feel they would like to improve.

"By increasing the knowledge and skill set of our employees," Oien said, "we will be better able to provide excellent customer service to both internal and external customers."

Oien said the mentorship program could be used in other divisions or districts, and could particularly be well utilized as part of any horizontal career path program being developed or for any leadership/supervisory developmental programs.

"This agency has a wealth of knowledge and experienced senior employees -- it is wise to ensure that the knowledge is passed along to others," Oien said.


Published 05-18-18