Talented workforce.
One of the biggest draws to the PHX East Valley is access to top talent. As such, the region’s leaders have made education, including continuing education, a top priority. The goal is to fill the demand for workers today and create a pipeline of talent for the jobs of tomorrow. The work is paying off: the PHX East Valley has one of the most highly educated workforces in the nation.
Education.
Pre-K-12
In the PHX East Valley, education begins by equipping the region’s youngest students — those at the Pre-K level — with fundamental skills to succeed. It also means ensuring that K-12 students have access to education resources, building the state’s professional and technical workforce and fortifying the STEM and STEAM ecosystem, leveraging strategic investments, maximizing government resources and preparing the next generation of workers for good-paying jobs — whatever they may be. Today, nearly half of all A-ranked K-12 schools in greater Phoenix are located in the PHX East Valley, and there are also unique magnet and charter programs, some of which have a graduation rate of more than 90%.
Community Colleges
There is also the outstanding Maricopa Community College District, the largest community college system in the nation, with 10 individually accredited colleges serving more than 200,000 students each year. Along with its size, Maricopa Community Colleges is known for helping students on a path to success, whether it’s to earn an associate’s degree, get a head start on their bachelor’s degree or get customized workforce training for the jobs of today — and tomorrow. The area’s superb technical schools play an important role in filling the demand for workers in a plethora of fields, too.
Universities
The region is home to top-notch educational institutions, anchored by Arizona State University, ranked the most innovative in the nation. ASU is bolstered by satellite programs from the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University, along with its Polytechnic Campus and ASU’s Media and Immersive eXperience (MIX) Center, a world-class hub for digital innovation in downtown Mesa.
Nearly two dozen colleges, universities and technical schools
- Arizona Christian University
- Arizona State University
- Arizona State University Polytechnic Campus
- ASU Media and Immersive Experience (MIX) Center
- ASU Online
- A.T. Still University
- Benedictine University
- Central Arizona College
- Chandler-Gilbert Community College
- East Valley Institute of Technology
- Maricopa Community College District
- Mesa Community College
- Northern Arizona University Extended Campus
- Park University
- Perimeter 83
- Pima Medical Institute
- Queen Creek Communiversity
- Rio Salado College
- Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and Health Sciences
- University of Advancing Technology
- University of Arizona Chandler and UA Online
- University of Arizona College of Nursing
- University of Phoenix
- Western International University
- Zovio
Access to world-class incubator and accelerator programs
Education snapshots
University of Arizona, Grand Canyon University Filling the demand for nurses
Two of Arizona’s premier universities — University of Arizona and Grand Canyon University — expanded their footprint to the PHX East Valley to address the nationwide nursing shortage.
GCU’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program in Chandler is designed to put more nurses on the front lines of care in as little as 16 months.
Additionally, University of Arizona is offering the first Bachelor of Science in Nursing in the nation that blends conventional healthcare with complementary approaches to mind-body-spirit wellbeing in Gilbert. The Integrative Health emphasis provides students with the knowledge and skills they need to become successful registered nurses with a focus on integrative management of chronic conditions and serious illnesses.
East Valley Institute of Technology: A model for career and technical education
As the oldest Career and Technical Education District in Arizona and a model for career and technical education nationwide, East Valley Institute of Technology has grown from 700 high school students to two central campuses serving approximately 5,000 high school and adult students in the East Valley and across greater Phoenix. The EVIT CTED also funds satellite CTE programs at 11 East Valley school districts.
EVIT’s mission is to change lives by providing career training that leads to employment after high school and helps students jump-start their college education. Students can choose from more than 40 occupation-specific areas, ranging from aviation, cosmetology and healthcare to the industrial trades and veterinary sciences and engineering.
ASU MIX Center: Creating 21st-century immersive media experiences
One of Arizona State University’s newest innovations is the world-class Media and Immersive eXperience (MIX) Center. A collaboration with the City of Mesa and located in the heart of the city’s Innovation District, this is where students make films, design virtual worlds and video games and create other 21st-century immersive media experiences.
The ASU at Mesa City Center complex also includes The Studios at Mesa City Center, an inclusive space for community members, students, faculty and staff interested in launching new ideas and seeking a connection space.
ASU Polytechnic Campus
Interdisciplinary sciences, engineering, management, technology and education: these are the areas of study at ASU’s Polytechnic Campus. Located next to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, the campus is part of Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, the nation’s largest engineering school, and the College of Health Solutions, a one-of-a-kind health college. Here, students combine classroom instruction with project-based learning in tandem with industry partners.
The campus is adjacent to the ASU Polytechnic Innovation Zone, a pioneering concept to bring industry and the workforce together to explore innovative solutions in aviation, renewable energy, human technology integration, comprehensive commercial printing and design services and on-demand digital manufacturing, as well as develop solutions to achieve better health outcomes.
Maricopa Community Colleges
The Maricopa Community College District, better known as Maricopa Community Colleges, is one of the largest community college systems in the nation, serving approximately 100,000 students annually across 10 colleges. Its goal: to promote innovative, transformative and cost-effective higher education.
Maricopa Community Colleges assists students seeking job training, starting a new career, earning a certificate or bachelor’s degree or preparing to transfer to one of its 40-plus university partners.
