Arizona Colleges and Trade Schools

Do you currently reside in Arizona? Or perhaps you are considering making a move to this appealing state in order to pursue a higher level of education? First, let's look at a few facts about this state so you might know what to expect before you even begin to consider their educational options. Agriculture and manufacturing are the two most important and influential industries within the state of Arizona. This state is also well known for having one of the largest United States Indian populations, with more than fourteen tribes represented throughout twenty reservations. Based on current online research, the state of Arizona is projected to have 59- 63 % of their employment opportunities that will require completion of a post secondary degree program.

On the opposite end of that spectrum, only about 19-27 % of the available jobs in the state of Arizona will be appropriate for individuals who have only obtained their high school diploma. Since this employment projection will hold true for this state for the next several years, there is no better time to begin working on your post secondary degree program than now! Furthermore, the great state of Arizona is home to many well known attractions that are sure to make your time there completely pleasurable. After all, everyone can use a break from the books once in a while! For instance, you could take the time to visit the Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon, and the Painted Desert, just to mention a few.

 

Top Arizona Trade Schools

 

Arizona is home to many great, recognized learning institutions. For instance, Arizona State University boasts four amazing campuses that are distributed throughout the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. Currently, this university holds the position as #124 of America's Best Colleges, as ranked by U.S. News and World Report. The main campus of this learning institution is located in Tempe and is home to nearly 42,000 students, which has earned it the reputation of one of the nation's largest learning institutions. This urban location allows students the opportunity to participate in internships in Tempe, which is in the central part of the state. A second educational option is found at Arizona State University West Campus. This university was actually founded by the Arizona legislature because of the tremendous growth is the Phoenix area. Students will have the option to choose from five different major colleges and thirty eight degree programs. Although anyone can apply to and attend this college, many of the degree programs and other educationally related factors are geared towards nontraditional students who are returning to school.

Ranked as #96 by the U.S. News and World Report, The University of Arizona is a great option for interested students. Despite the fact that space exploration and various areas of natural science are among the major focus areas at this institution, there are technically over three hundred different degree programs that students can choose from. It is important to note that this learning institution is considered to be somewhat elite; prospective students are expected to complete a selective admissions process before they can join the almost 30,000 undergraduate students already enrolled. A fourth educational option for interested students is Northern Arizona University, which is located in Flagstaff. This premier learning institution is currently home to approximately 15,000 students. While many of this university's students choose to complete their studies in an online learning format, that is certainly not the only option. In fact, this university is well known for its degree programs in hotel management and restaurant management.

One of the final most popular choices for colleges in the state of Arizona is the Arizona State University at the Polytechnic Campus. This newly created university is actually located on what was once known as the Williams Air Force Base. This innovative learning institution is well known for its degree programs in the applied sciences, various areas of business, practical based programs, and technical based programs. While the current enrollment of undergraduate students is less than 6,000 projections show this figure quadrupling over the next few years due to the fact that this university addresses the academic needs of the scientific community. In addition to these popular collegiate choices, Arizona is also home to many community or junior colleges, vocational institutes, and distance learning options. Regardless of whether you are a traditional college student or a nontraditional student who is returning to complete your education, there is sure to be a perfect option for you as you secure your future dreams.

Arizona College Data

Over 38% of the total population of Arizona possess some sort of college degree. This percentage has increased over the years yet is still lower than the national average of 40%. Approx. 8% of the population haven’t received at least a high school diploma yet almost 10% have a masters or graduate level degree. By race Asians have the highest percentage of degrees received with over 60% of the population have earned at least an Associate’s degree. Whites were at 45%, blacks at 32% and the lowest race was Hispanics with fewer than 18% have earned a degree.

Arizona has large pockets of population with most centered around Maricopa and Cochise county. The county with the highest number of individuals with a degree is Coconino with 40% of their population having earned at least an Associate’s degree. Maricopa came in second with 39% followed by Pima at 38%. The county with the lowest level of education was Apache and La Paz.

Top Occupations in Arizona

Arizona has a lot of different industries and companies from high tech to medical all set up business in Arizona to take advantage of not only the year around weather and sunshine but the graduates that flock to the state to attend the major colleges. Arizona competes with California and Texas as many of the graduates want to continue to work in the state or a border state that also has good yearly weather.
The state of Arizona employs around 2.6 million documented workers. The average yearly salary of these workers is $45,310. Unlike other states that employ a similar number of workers, Arizona‘s top occupation is in office support. This is due to the vast number of companies in the state that require supportive roles. Sales and sales support is ranked #2 with over 290,000 workers employed with an average salary of $35,000 per year. Transportation is 3rd due to the fact they have a large international airport in Phoenix. Transportation represents 4% of all the jobs. The healthcare industry is the 4th industry that employs the most individuals. Arizona has a massive retirement community and new hospitals are being built all the time to keep up with demand. Like with most states jobs such as surgeons, anesthesiologists and physicians are the top paid with an average salary of $256,000 per year.

The top areas for graduates to find work after college include Flagstaff, Phoenix metro (which include Mesa, Tempe and Scottsdale), Sierra vista, Yum and Tucson. Unemployment rate however was high in Arizona at 12.8% which is several percentage points higher than the national average.

 

Affordability of Arizona

Arizona is an affordable place to live, especially since you have a choice of living in some smaller towns that are still close to larger cities. Arizona has a big military veteran population that makes up more than a half a million residents. The median house is $162,000 which is affordable compared to the national average. Only 85% of the population has graduated from high school and the median household income is low at $49,928 per year. Approx. 18% of the state lives at or below the poverty level.

Colleges in Arizona

Arizona has over 40 colleges that offer degree programs and that doesn’t include the community colleges and vocational schools which make up over 150 total. The largest state ran school is Arizona State University in Tempe which has over 53,000 students enrolled. Grand Canyon University is also very big but does a lot of online enrollments as does the University of Phoenix.

Employers of Graduates

Some of the largest employers in the US have companies and offices in Arizona. The largest employer in the state is Wal-Mart that employs over 32,000 workers followed by Banner Heath and then Kroger. The banking industry is also very large and companies like Wells Fargo and Bank of American each employ over 12,000 employees for their branches.

Top Industries in Arizona

As mentioned earlier then transportation industry is the largest with over half a million employed in trade, transportation and utilities companies. The government employs another 400K workers and the hospitality and tourism industry another 300,000. Arizona is a great state for college graduates as it offers a nice variety of industries to choose from, especially in the Phoenix metro area. Graduates from Arizona State often find jobs in the technology and medical industry upon graduation.

Aerospace and Defense is a big part of the economy in Arizona. More than 1200 companies currently operate in Arizona including large industry leaders such as Raytheon, Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Many of the top universities offer research scholarships to encourage graduates to come work for them.

 

Top Vocational and Trade Schools Careers in Arizona

Electricians/HVAC
Technicians are in big demand due to the heat in Arizona. With so many homes using their air conditioners 10 months out of the year many companies are in need of trained HVAC technicians. According to indeed.com HVAC technicians in Arizona make on average $33,000 per year however those in Phoenix, Mesa, Tempe, Scottsdale and Tucson make on average $44,000. Arizona has an annual growth rate of 4.4%.

IT and Web Designers
IT has continued to be a hot industry but so has the design aspect. Those with the skillset to not only program but design websites can find work at advertising agencies and marketing companies state wide. The tech industry has grown at a staggering rate over the past 10 years in the Phoenix metro area. Top companies like Intel, Microsoft and even Google have all offices and plants in the metro area that employ thousands of workers. Arizona has 1000’s of small to medium sized businesses that all need web designers and IT staff to operate.

Hospitality
Earning your certificate in hospitality management from a trade school in Arizona can help you be on your way to an exciting career in hospitality. Arizona has beautiful resorts and hotels which all need managers and individuals to help operate them year round. Arizona has a big increase in their population from October through March as people from out of state come to Arizona to enjoy the sunshine. Arizona has over 39,000 guestrooms according to the Arizona Lodging and Tourism Association. The tourism industry supports $163,000 jobs that will generate over 19 billion in direct spending.

Healthcare and Medical
With Arizona being one of the top retirement destinations in the county it is no surprise that the medical and healthcare industry is one of the top industries in the state. Some of the top trade schools train students in: pharmacy technician, dental assistant, medical assistant, phlebotomy, nursing, surgical technology, health information management, massage therapy and medical billing and coding. These programs can be completed from an accredited trade school typically in less than half the time of receiving your Associate’s degree. The advantage with a trade school education is you can enter the workforce in less time.

 

Arizona Career Resources

http://strongernation.luminafoundation.org/report/#arizona
http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_az.htm
http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/04
https://www.azeconomy.org/data/forecast-data/
https://laborstats.az.gov/employment-forecasts