Governor Announces $78,000 Federal Grant For Women In Trades

CHICAGO -- Governor George H. Ryan today announced that Chicago Women in Trades will receive a $78,579 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor's Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations Program.

Along with the Tooling Manufacturing Association (TMA), Chicago Women in Trades (CWIT) will use the grant to implement the Manufacturing Opportunities for Women program. The program will provide technical assistance to manufacturing employers, unions and training programs.

"With growing competition for jobs, the importance of equal pay and equal job opportunities for women has never been greater than at this time," Ryan said. "The introduction of more technologically challenging jobs has created a need for a higher level of training and experience for workers."

CWIT will place 15 women in manufacturing internships. The internships are designed to expand the experience and training of women for manufacturing jobs, including tool and die maker, machinist and metal fabricator. Women will receive a starting wage of $11 to $14 an hour and may go through preparatory and apprenticeship training.

Many of the women being recruited into these programs are in Enterprise Zones which are high poverty areas that have been designated for special assistance. The grants are funded through the Job Training Partnership Act.