As the role of women in the job market evolves every day, more financial aid opportunities are opening up to help reduce educational costs. Scholarships and other forms of financial aid are being awarded to female students in numerous fields of higher education. Recently, "unconventional" fields of study, such as engineering, have been making financial assistance available in order to increase the number of women in those related jobs.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, $1.6 million will be available to six recipients of the Women in Apprenticeship and Non-traditional grants. Women who are working in several fields including construction, manufacturing, science and engineering will be eligible to apply. The financial assistance will fund apprenticeships available for females students who learn skills in these fields.
"In the America of the 21st century, the role of women in the workplace should be defined by their training and abilities, not their gender," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis.
In 2008, women accounted for 51 percent of all persons employed in management, professional and related occupations, somewhat more than their share of total employment (47 percent), reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
