* Governor Pritzker highlighted women construction workers a couple of times in the past few days, including at a Monday press conference in Peoria. Former Illinois Central College highway careers training student Ericka Crookshanks spoke about her experience…

To think, a year ago I was sitting in a classroom at [Illinois Central College], in the highway construction career training program, not knowing where it would take me. I’m beyond grateful where it has taken me. I have a career path now with plenty of benefits. It’s just amazing to think that I was sitting there, on an Equal Opportunity Grant at that. It’s an honor to be in the union alone, much less a woman in the union. And I am very proud to be on this project and very grateful. And I just want to thank IDOT, Local 237, this school and and so many people. I’m just so grateful.

* Watch her statement…

* Sonia Shepard, a graduate of Black Hawk College’s Highway Construction Careers Training Program, worked on the I-280 bridge in Rock Island and spoke at last week’s press event…

I was in the HCCPT class number five, and I graduated in 2015. I started with Kraemer North America on a Savanna bridge in Illinois. And then I went on to the 74 bridge with them and then 280. The first two years on 280, I think I pretty much did the parapet walls on both east and westbound lanes. But I worked on there for two full years and pretty much from beginning to end on the decking part and parapet wall stuff. So I took this opportunity, and I ran with it. And I appreciate everything that goes behind HTCC program. Thank you so much.

You can read more about Ms. Shepard here.

* From Pritzker’s Rock Island remarks…

It’s something that a lot of us for many years have hoped for: getting more diversity, bringing more women into the trades. And it’s happening, and it’s happening to an even greater degree because they share their stories with other people who are looking to get a new job get a new opportunity. Other women who sometimes don’t think that they could become a tradesperson and but hearing it from two people who are succeeding at it is really a big deal. And when I see it more and more just a lot of women and people of color who are getting into the trades that never thought they could before. So very proud of you and very happy about the direction of things.

* Watch the clip here…