Conference aims to help women enhance critical skills in the workforce
CHICAGO – The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) today welcomed more than a hundred women to Kankakee Community College for the 2nd annual Women in the Workforce Conference. The one-day event provided women from all industries with resources to enhance skills that are critical to succeeding in the workforce. DCEO sponsored the event in conjunction with the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) and a number of local and regional workforce development agencies.
The keynote speakers for the conference are MarySue Barrett, President of the Metropolitan Planning Council, an independent, nonprofit group of business and civic leaders working to achieve policies that enhance the vitality and livability of the Chicago metropolitan region, and Carmen Morales, Regional Community Relations Director for Will, Grundy and Kendall Counties. The event included break out sessions on various topics such as “How to Network,” “Community Involvement,” and “Time Management.”
“Women are a substantial part of the Illinois workforce, so it’s important that we utilize forums such as this to address the issues and concerns that are important to them,” said Governor Blagojevich. “Through our efforts – including increasing the minimum wage and providing more programs and services to support minority-and women- owned businesses – we are working to address worker inequities and helping to ensure every Illinoisan can reach their potential,” said Governor Blagojevich.
Governor Blagojevich has a long record of supporting women in business. In 2003, the Governor signed the Equal Pay Act to eliminate wage differences between men and women. At that time, the average woman earned about $240 less per week than the average man, largely because a woman earned only 71 cents for every dollar a man earned. Through the Equal Pay Act, plus major education and enforcement campaigns, women in Illinois now earn 77 cents for every dollar a man earns.
The State, through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, also provides assistance to women-owned businesses and entrepreneurs through the Illinois Entrepreneurship Center Network (IEN) - regional hubs for coordinating small business development and entrepreneurship training in Illinois. In fiscal year 2007, IEN assisted women-owned businesses in obtaining almost $26 million in financing and securing $188 million in contracts. In that same year, Small Business Development Centers counseled or trained about 11,000 female clients.
In 2006, Governor Blagojevich created the first 100 percent Minority-Owned Business/Women-Owned Business bond deal in state history. Every business in the $125 million sale was either minority or woman-owned. That same year, the Governor announced a $700,000 investment in the Ceres Venture Fund, an Evanston-based venture capital fund, to continue to provide critical capital to help promising young companies grow.
“Under the Governor’s leadership we have created a business environment where traditionally underrepresented groups, including minorities and women, can thrive. Through programs like the “Women in the Workforce” conference we’re continuing our efforts to level the playing field and helping women enhance those skills that are critical to their success on the job,” DCEO Director Jack Lavin said.
Governor Blagojevich’s Opportunity Returns regional economic development strategy is the most aggressive, comprehensive approach to creating jobs in Illinois’ history. Since a one-size-fits-all approach to economic development just doesn’t work, the Governor has divided the state into 10 regions – each with a regional team that is empowered and expected to rapidly respond to opportunities and challenges. Opportunity Returns is about tangible, specific actions to make each region more accessible, more marketable, more entrepreneurial and more attractive to businesses. It is about upgrading the skills of the local workforce, increasing the access to capital, opening new markets, improving infrastructure, and creating and retaining jobs. Opportunity Returns is about successfully partnering with companies and communities, both large and small, to help all of Illinois reach its economic potential.