UTI's Healthcare Gambit: New Campus Aims to Plug Arizona's Skills Gap

GLENDALE, AZ – July 01, 2026 – Concorde Career Colleges, the healthcare education division of Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (UTI), has announced a significant expansion into the Southwest with a new campus in Glendale, Arizona. The move, marked by the appointment of veteran education administrator Mark Garland as its Campus President, is not merely a new dot on the map but a calculated maneuver in a broader national strategy to address critical workforce shortages.

The forthcoming 53,000-square-foot facility, slated to open in 2027 pending regulatory approvals, represents UTI's first major foray into Arizona's burgeoning healthcare training market. It aims to become a vital pipeline for skilled professionals in a state grappling with persistent labor deficits in the medical sector.

An Answer to Arizona's Critical Healthcare Shortage

The decision to establish a campus in Greater Phoenix is a direct response to clear and pressing market data. Arizona's rapidly growing and aging population has stretched its healthcare infrastructure thin, creating an urgent demand for the very roles Concorde-Glendale intends to fill. The campus is projected to serve over 620 students annually, offering diploma and associate degree programs in fields like nursing, dental hygiene, medical assisting, surgical technology, and radiologic technology.

This curriculum aligns precisely with the state's most acute needs. For instance, employment for physical therapist assistants in Arizona is projected to see significant growth, with the Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale metropolitan area already ranking among the top regions nationally for PTA employment. Similarly, demand for radiologic technologists is expected to climb by 12% over the next decade, with average salaries in the Glendale area exceeding $120,000 per year, reflecting the high value placed on these skilled professionals.

"As a seasoned administrator who has driven programmatic and campus growth, Mark has the vision and experience to help launch a campus that delivers skilled talent for Arizona's healthcare workforce needs," said Kevin Prehn, President of Concorde Career Colleges, in a statement. The campus is designed to be more than just a collection of classrooms; it is being positioned as a direct workforce solution, forging partnerships with local hospitals and clinics to ensure its graduates meet real-world employer requirements from day one.

A Veteran Hand at the Helm

Leading this ambitious initiative is Mark Garland, an executive with over 25 years of leadership experience in higher education. His appointment signals a clear intent to prioritize proven operational expertise and strong community integration. Before joining Concorde, Garland served as Campus President of the College of Health Care Professions in Dallas, where he demonstrated a keen ability to manage growth and align educational offerings with industry demand.

During his tenure in Dallas, Garland oversaw a significant campus expansion and was instrumental in launching new certification programs for surgical technology and pharmacy technicians—initiatives developed in direct collaboration with regional employers to address specific labor shortages. This track record of fostering employer partnerships and delivering tangible student outcomes was a key factor in his selection.

"I'm honored and truly excited to lead the launch of our Glendale campus at such a pivotal time of growth for Concorde," Garland stated. "We are committed to building a high-performing campus team and strong employer partnerships that align with the region's growing healthcare demands. Together, we will equip our students with the skills, confidence, and support needed to succeed in today's in-demand healthcare careers."

The 'North Star' Aligns on Healthcare

The Glendale campus is a critical component of Universal Technical Institute's overarching 'North Star' strategy—a multi-year plan for aggressive growth, diversification, and optimization. Launched to address national shortages of skilled trade and healthcare workers, the strategy has already yielded impressive results. Since 2018, UTI has more than doubled its student population to over 22,000 and grown its annual revenue from just over $300 million to nearly $733 million.

The acquisition of Concorde Career Colleges in December 2022 for $50 million was a cornerstone of this diversification. It provided UTI, traditionally focused on automotive and skilled trades, with a powerful engine for growth in the resilient and expanding healthcare sector. The Concorde division has quickly become a major revenue driver, reporting a 20.3% year-over-year revenue increase in the second quarter of fiscal 2025.

Now in its second phase, the North Star strategy calls for opening multiple new campuses annually through 2029 and launching approximately 20 new programs each year. The Glendale announcement follows similar expansion plans for Concorde in Atlanta and Houston, as well as a major campus relocation and expansion in Burbank, California, set to increase student capacity there by 45%. This pattern of investment underscores a disciplined, data-driven national rollout aimed at capturing market share and achieving a stated goal of over $1 billion in annual revenue by fiscal 2029.

Navigating a Crowded Educational Landscape

Concorde will not be entering an empty field. The Greater Phoenix area is home to a robust ecosystem of educational institutions, from major research universities like the University of Arizona College of Medicine–Phoenix to large private schools like Grand Canyon University and a host of community colleges and specialized for-profit trainers.

However, Concorde's competitive positioning lies in its focused, accelerated model. Unlike traditional four-year universities offering broad academic degrees, Concorde provides hands-on, career-centric training designed to get students into the workforce quickly. Its curriculum is built for what are often termed "skilled collar" jobs—roles that require significant technical training but not necessarily a bachelor's degree. By investing in a large, modern facility dedicated exclusively to these programs, Concorde is betting it can offer a depth of practical training and employer integration that distinguishes it from more generalized community college programs or purely online providers.

The success of the Glendale campus will ultimately depend on its ability to execute this vision, securing the pending regulatory approvals for its 2027 launch and proving its value to both students seeking rewarding careers and a regional healthcare system in desperate need of talent.