Next Level Career Pathways:
Building Peoria’s Future, One Box (and Bold Graduate) at a Time
If you think the only “dirty jobs” in Peoria are on TV, think again—there’s real grit and glory happening right here, thanks to the Next Level Career Pathways at Peoria Public Schools. Just ask Tiannah Taylor, a 2024 Richwoods High School grad who swapped fancy nails and long eyelashes during the work week for steel-toed boots, and now she’s helping build the city’s future—literally.
Tiannah didn’t plan to go into construction. As she tells it, “It was like two weeks into the 2nd year when I decided I actually DID like it.” On a whim, she signed up for the Work-Based Learning (WBL) class with instructor Mike Brix her sophomore year. Years of helping her dad, a mechanic, had her curious about the trades training offered at WCTC—even though she’d already been accepted into the prestigious International Baccalaureate program at Richwoods. Sure, she could excel in Pre-IB, but Tiannah knew she loved working with her hands more than sitting at a computer. Mr. Brix knew she honestly didn’t love school in the traditional sense— but she did enjoy the eight different field trips offered in the Construction Trades intro class. One especially eye-opening trip to IBEW #34’s Electrician Training Center in Bartonville exposed Taylor and her classmates to problem-solving in a completely new field…electrical work. They got to practice wiring switches and outlets which is typical work for beginning electricians.
Her curiosity only grew. “The second year we got a new teacher, Skyler Anderson, and it was the same class with very different projects.” Call it serendipity or just a happy accident, but Tiannah found her spark in a hands-on project: “I made a little sliding box in class—I don’t know, it was just so cool to me.” Sometimes, you don’t need a life-changing epiphany; you just need a project that clicks and a teacher who believes in you. The IB program soon became a blip on her high school journey as she leaned into the programs at WCTC. She racked up a First Aid/CPR Certificate, Forklift Operator Safety Certificate, and OSHA 20 Certificate before graduation.
Tianniah’s parents had high hopes for her IB future but mom summed it up best: “You have to trust in your child, (and) know that you gave them the tools needed to make decisions about their future.”
Here is where Peoria’s Next Level Career Pathways really shine: before even donning her cap and gown, Tiannah landed a paid internship with the legendary PIPCO (Peoria Industrial Piping Company). PIPCO isn’t just a local institution with over 65 years of experience and three generations of know-how—it’s a company that invests in Peoria’s next generation. By partnering with Peoria Public Schools the past 11 years, they make sure students like Tiannah get the skills, confidence, and, yes, the paycheck to stand on their own two feet from day one.
Was Tiannah nervous her first day? “No,” she laughs, “but I definitely didn’t feel 100% prepared…because there is so much to learn and understand” Still, thanks to her PPS training, she had the foundation to “hang and fight”—and not just with wrenches. She and her classmates learned the value of teamwork, built projects from the ground up, and discovered that, when everyone pulls their weight, something real gets built (and yes, that includes a storage building next to the track at Woodruff).
As a black woman in a field where hard hats outnumber hair ties, Tiannah’s advice for the next wave of tradeswomen is classic: “No nails done, no fancy anything.” You’ll need tough skin, a quick wit, the courage to go to new heights (literally), and the guts to ask questions—especially when the answer might be an entirely new skill to master. But if you love what you do, the rewards are tangible: a real paycheck, insurance, and a career path leading straight to foreman—something Tiannah has her eye on in the next five years.
So, here’s a shoutout to PIPCO for training up Peoria’s future workforce—and to Peoria Public Schools for giving students the tools (and the chutzpah) to take on the world.
Whether you’re building sliding boxes or city skylines, the Next Level Career Pathways are proof that Peoria’s best jobs start right here at home—with a little grit, instructors with a lot of heart, and maybe a smudge or two of honest dirt under your nails.
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