Diversity Matters!

              Diversity Matters!
JULY 2011
IDOT Gets Construction Workers Ready for Employment
The Illinois Department of Transportation’s (IDOT) Highway Construction Careers Training Pro-gram (HCCTP) is off and running in its first full year of training and placing minori-ties, women and disadvan-taged individuals into the highway construction trades.
The program is managed by IDOT’s Office of Business and Workforce Diversity’s Bureau of Small Business Enterprises, with the Illinois Community College Board directly over-seeing the participating com-munity colleges. The program aims to increase the total number of historically under-utilized individuals working on Illinois Department of Trans-portation highway construc-tion projects.
Each college assists trainees to become placed into Illinois’ highway construction trade unions, apprenticeship pro-grams and/or with IDOT highway construction contrac-tors. During the 8 to 10 week training sessions, the trainees are taught highway construction-related skills, including math for the trades, job readiness, technical skills coursework such as carpen-try, blueprint reading and OSHA 10 certification.
With the 2011 highway con-struction season under way, IDOT is encouraging its con-tractors to hire its program trainees after graduation. The colleges already have more than 100 individuals trained and ready to become produc-tive entry-level highway con-struction workers.
For a list of participating col-leges and additional informa-tion, visit, http://www.dot.il.gov/sbe/hccta.html.
Questions / Comments: DOT.Diversity@illinois.gov
Target Market Program: Passage of New Standards
amending Chapter 20, Section 2705 of the Illinois Compiled Statutes to require the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and its Chief Procure-ment Officer to review all evi-dence of racial and gender dis-crimination pertaining to the Target Market Program. The chief sponsors are Senator Toi W. Hutchinson and Repre-
The state’s Target Market Pro-gram has undergone significant legislative changes designed to improve results on diversity goals and more effectively ad-dress disparity in contract par-ticipation and equity. The leg-islative changes now await ac-tion by Governor Pat Quinn. The Illinois General Assembly passed Senate Bill 1923 in May,
House Bill 1256 –This legisla-tion creates the Diversity in Engineering Scholarship Pro-gram at the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). As a part of this legislation, IDOT may award up to $7,500 per student per academic year in scholarships for up to 20 eligi-ble students. HB 1256 now awaits the Governor’s signa-ture.
Senate Resolution 199 –SR 199 urges the Illinois Depart-ment of Transportation and
Capital Development Board to review their bonding require-ments for Minority and Women Business Enterprise participants. The resolution requires IDOT and CDB to examine the number of de-faults by Minority and Women Business Enterprise companies in particular over the last 5 years. The amendment to SR 199 was adopted on May 27.
House Bill 2987 – This legis-lation provides that a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) may
be placed on state funded pro-jects and sets forth goals for apprenticeship and total hours to be performed by minorities and females. IDOT will file a quarterly report of the success of the PLA workforce participa-tion by minorities and females with the Department of Labor. HB 2987 now awaits the Gov-ernor’s signature.
For full-text of the legislation, visit http://www.ilga.gov/.
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IDOT Legislative Update at a Glance
sentative William Davis. Senate co-sponsors are Jacqueline Y. Collins, Mattie Hunter, Kwame Raoul and Martin A. Sandoval. House co-sponsors are Cyn-thia Soto, Edward J. Acevedo, Elizabeth Hernandez, Maria Antonia Berrios, Lisa M. Dugan, Derrick Smith and Monique D. Davis.
For full-text of the legislation, visit http://www.ilga.gov/.
More than 300 students from all over the state are spending the summer working at the Illinois Department of Trans-portation (IDOT).
In June, IDOT hired a total of 375 students for the Summer Program, which includes 219
non-engineering and 156 engi-neering office and field posi-tions.
IDOT’s Summer Program is designed to give Engineering and Non-Engineering students an opportunity to gain on-the-job training and supplement
IDOT staff during the busiest project season of the year. Information about the Summer Program was posted in all nine IDOT District headquarters and the agency’s Central Office, located in Springfield.
The Summer Program ends August 31, 2011.
IDOT Hires Summer Workers
Office of Business and Workforce Diversity (OBWD)
Releases Summer 2011 Newsletter
To get additional information about IDOT events and opportunities available, please take a look at OBWD’s latest newsletter at http://www.dot.state.il.us/obwd/DIVERSITYnewsSummer%202011.pdf.