U.S. Department of Transportation has expanded its internship program designed to encourage young women to pursue careers in transportation. The program will grow from one to 10 regions of the country
, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced.

"Women are an essential part of today's labor force, yet women are underrepresented in the transportation industry," said LaHood. "We're saying to all the college women out there - no matter where you're enrolled, there's a DOT Small Business Transportation Resource Center close by to help you plug into your dream job, whether it's an airport, an engineering or aerospace firm, a railroad, a transit agency or perhaps one of our DOT offices."

The program will be administered through the DOT's 11 Small Business Transportation Resource Centers. These centers, spread throughout the nation, provide resources, technical assistance and outreach to all 50 states and U.S. territories. Each center will be responsible for placing qualified female college students in transportation-related internships in their regions.

The expanded program, based on a successful pilot with Spelman College, is part of a broader effort by the DOT to create a pipeline of younger women coming into the transportation workforce.

"We are excited about expanding a great program that will introduce young women to transportation careers nationwide," said Brandon Neal, director of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization. "It is our goal to assist as many women as possible and continue to be the training ground for future small business owners."

In May, LaHood also signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Women's Transportation Seminar International to inspire women to pursue careers in transportation by completing undergraduate and graduate degrees in science, technology, engineering and math. The aim is to attract and retain a new generation of women in transportation professions.