Look to modern manufacturing for high-paying, high-impact careers

By Editor | June 25, 2025 |

By Dr. Nancy Sweet, Dean, Workforce Institute at Lincoln Land Community College

Did you know that manufacturing plays a significant role in our local, central Illinois economy? From small- and medium-sized local businesses to national brands employing almost 1,000 people, the impact of these businesses is critical for our area. However, after spending much time talking with these employers, I know they struggle to maintain a full — and fully trained — workforce. One of their most serious struggles is finding industrial maintenance technicians.
What is a maintenance technician? What do they even do? Who works in manufacturing? Isn’t it dirty and dangerous? And can you make a living doing that kind of work?
These are common, outdated perceptions we have heard when talking to potential students about this career path at the Workforce Institute at Lincoln Land Community College. Those perceptions couldn’t be more out of step with what actually goes on in manufacturing.
Manufacturing is far more than just the process of making things. It’s the engine that powers innovation, drives economies and shapes the modern world. It blends science, technology and human ingenuity — a field in which problem-solving meets production.
Much of today’s manufacturing facilities are clean, bright and very high-tech, utilizing cutting edge robotics and advanced automation systems. And industrial maintenance techs are the people who keep these entire systems running.
These highly skilled technicians keep production lines and whole facilities like hospitals, power plants and large commercial complexes operating smoothly. They use mechanical know-how, excellent communication skills and serious critical thinking to be the fixer who saves the day almost every day. Using robotics, electrical systems, pneumatics, hydraulics and automated machinery, they fix the things that break (and help prevent things from breaking in the first place). It is highly technical, hands-on and always changing and challenging.
This field offers great pay, job security and solid career growth. Most entry-level techs start between $22-$29 per hour locally and, with experience, can eventually see $70,000-$85,000+ a year. The demand in our area is huge. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 15% job growth nationally through 2033, which far outpaces the average of 4% across all other occupations. Older workers are retiring, and there are simply not enough younger people entering the field to replace them. From factories to distribution centers to energy companies, openings continue to grow. Being an industrial maintenance technician is not just a job — it’s a stable, skilled trade. These machines don’t run themselves; automated robots and systems need skilled humans to keep them going. And with this experience, techs can move into roles like maintenance supervisor, facility manager and plant engineer.
Plus, you don’t need a four-year degree. LLCC has both a certificate program and an associate degree option, which both provide for great career choices that allow you to get into the field quickly and advance, earning more than many four-year college grads. At LLCC, you’ll learn electrical and mechanical skills to build a foundation that makes you extremely in demand. You’ll spend your time in our labs, working on similar equipment used in real-world settings, learning how to troubleshoot and repair high-tech equipment including precision measurements, calibration, vibration analysis, PLC programming, blueprint reading, process controls and so much more. And you’ll start networking with local employers from day one by utilizing our strong employer connections.
LLCC’s flagship industrial maintenance program is located at our main campus in Springfield. After receiving funding from a grant for mobile hands-on trainers, we will also start offering our certificate program at Litchfield this fall 2025 and in Jacksonville this coming spring 2026. We currently have spaces left at all areas, but they are filling up fast!
You can learn more by joining us for our next info session on July 9, 5:30-7 p.m. It will be held at our lab in the Workforce Careers Center on the Springfield campus. Can’t make the information session? Contact Doug Hoy, our industrial maintenance program director, by calling 217-786-3447 or texting 217-786-3447. For more information and to register for the info session, visit www.llcc.edu/industrial.