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A non-descript white city bus will now carry the vibrant colors and some of the programs of DeKalb Technical College as it travels in and around the Lithonia area. On a blistering hot June afternoon Ryan Terrell from Outdoor Media Solutions and his colleague Ted Jones affix DeKalb Tech’s latest ad campaign on the side of a passenger bus.
The bus will be a rolling billboard and used as part of the coursework at the Regional Transportation Training Center (RTTC) in Lithonia.
RTTC trains students to safely operate and drive commercial trucks, buses and heavy equipment. The newly wrapped bus is part of the class “B” driver training. Consuelo Godden, Director of RTTC, says about 100 people per quarter graduate from this center in a variety of classes. “Up to 60 drivers get their Commercial Drivers License (CDL). About a dozen people get their Class “B” license to drive buses or straight trucks. Just as many students get their Electrical Lineworker Apprentice Certificate,” Godden explains.
The RTTC facility also trains MARTA bus drivers who have been recently hired by the municipal transit authority. According to Godden about 30 bus drivers go through the course every quarter. The Lithonia campus is a multi-purpose center that also offers students the chance to get their General Education Diploma (GED). Officials say within the next month RTTC will house the motorcycle safety training course. As part of the Police Academy, the training center will offer refresher driving courses for police officers which include skid driving.
30 instructors teach a variety of courses at the facility. Soon you will be seeing some of DeKalb Tech’s course offerings rolling down a street near you.
DeKalb Technical College is committed to meeting the economic and workforce development needs of DeKalb, Newton, Rockdale, and Morgan counties through adult education and state-of-the-art technical education and training. Established in 1961, DeKalb Technical College currently has more than 4,000 students enrolled in diploma or degree programs and more than 17,000 in adult education classes. Academic Technical programs at DeKalb Tech cover more than 100 different occupations. For more information visit our website at www.dekalbtech.edu.
