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Women and Girls Initiative US DOT's Women and Girls in Transportation Initiative (WITI)
US DOT's Women and Girls in Transportation Initiative (WITI)
On July 26, 2010 U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the expansion of the Women‘s Internship program to encourage young women to pursue careers in transportation.
The U.S. DOT Women’s Internship Program will now expand from one to all eleven Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) regions, enabling young women from colleges and universities across the country to participate. Administered through the department’s 11 Small Business Transportation Resource Centers (SBTRC) which provide resources, technical assistance and outreach to all 50 states and U.S. territories, each SBTRC will be responsible for placing qualified female college students in transportation related internships throughout their regions.
The expanded program, based on a successful pilot with Spelman College that Secretary LaHood announced with Congressman John Lewis and OSDBU Director Neal in Atlanta in 2009, is part of a broader effort led by the White House to ensure that federal programs and policies take into account the distinct needs and concerns of women and girls.
Goals of the Program:
The goals of the program are to increase the participation of women in the transportation industry and prepare young women to become our nation's future leaders. To accomplish these goals, the program will:
- Identify the current situation and challenges for women participating in the transportation infrastructure industry, address those challenges, and seek to improve the status quo.
- Educate WITI participants on the exciting opportunities available in the transportation infrastructure industry and inspire them to enter the science, engineering, and technology fields.
- Attract WITI participants into transportation related fields through the WITI internship program and internships provided by partner organizations.
- Retain female WITI participants in transportation fields.
- Serve as a resource to all WITI participants regarding information in transportation related fields.
