More than $1,000,000 will be available to help women around Illinois get jobs in the trades.

State officials say only 5% of trade apprentices in Illinois are women, and the Illinois Department of Labor is getting a $1.35 million from the federal government as part of the trillion-dollar federal infrastructure bill.

The Illinois Department of Labor and the Chicago Women in Trades will use the money to guide construction companies, unions and others groups to put together programs focused on getting women involved in infrastructure projects. Illinois has already made investments to create better opportunities in the workplace.