Education and Development

Peoria offers some of the best education options in Arizona. New companies will find a range of choice for their employees’ families in addition to multiple workforce development partners. Peoria knows that education is a highly desired and needed component for any community and business and are working hard to provide the best opportunities for everyone.

Colleges and Universities

Peoria maintains close connections with Arizona State University thorough an entrepreneurship program in Peoria and is also adjacent to ASU’s West Valley Campus in Glendale. Arizona State University offers assistance to businesses looking to hire or train employees through their Office of Corporate Partnerships and Alumni Engagement. They will work directly with a company to customize a solution to meet their workforce needs.

Grand Canyon University is located within 15 minutes of Peoria and offers numerous recognized programs in business and technology. Staff at GCU also provide customized recruitment and workforce development programs based on a company’s needs. This includes job and internship hours, interviews on campus, and capstone research symposiums.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is just over an hour north of Peoria and is world-renowned for its engineering and cybersecurity degree programs. Many of their students are in the semiconductor industry and other advanced manufacturing fields.

Peoria works with all of the higher education providers to make their career placement and employment support centers available to companies to aid in hiring. Staff can connect employers with all of these providers, which provide assistance at no-cost.

West-MEC

Western Maricopa Education Center (West-MEC) is a public school district dedicated to providing innovative career and technical education (CTE) programs that prepare students to enter the workforce and pursue continuing education. West-MEC CTE programs provide students opportunities to earn college credit and industry credentials. They offer programs in Coding, IT Security, and Precision Manufacturing.

West-MEC’s Career Services Department can help employers via recruiting and screening processes, tailored to company’s specific hiring needs. All services are at no cost to employers. West-MEC has been directly involved with numerous manufacturing and high tech companies on hiring programs and assistance.

Public Schools

Peoria Unified School District (K-12) is a nationally recognized school system, including having several high schools being ranked in the top 20% of high schools ranked by US News and World Report. Peoria Unified offers an innovative Career & Technical Education (CTE) Department, which has been a model for other CTE programs across the country. The programs offered connect high school students with companies to develop strong work experience at an early age.

Charter Schools

BASIS Peoria, a charter high school, is one of the best high schools in the USA according to US News and World Report. In 2022, it was ranked as 5th Best in Arizona and 30th in the USA. BASIS also operates a K-8 elementary school on site for all students. Other charter schools offer specialized STEM education in additional to traditional learning and instruction.