Eight million dollars will be coming to Illinois to help students land careers operating heavy machinery and fixing that equipment. 

The dollars are part of a larger federal grant from the Apprenticeships Builds America federal program. The funds will be used to back - hands-on training programs for students within the industry. That can then turn into networking and connection events for students looking to land a job. Illinois Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski says it's a great way to put people on the path to getting well-paying middle-class jobs.

Skills USA Illinois will be a partner on getting the programs up and running at the state's junior colleges. But they say outreach is needed to high school and even middle school students to get them thinking about these jobs as possible careers.