Teacher Externships Connect TVA Work to Student Careers

Educators Visit TVA Sites to See Variety of Skills and Careers at Work

A group of educators from across Tennessee took a series of field trips of their own, recently, to five TVA sites.

Over the past couple of months the site tours, called externships, gave the teachers and education leaders a glimpse of the work done where water, power, data and even aircraft come together.

The experience took participants from the historic scale of Norris Dam and the applied research of Norris Labs to real-time river forecasting, grid coordination at the System Operations Center and to Aviation Services. At every stop, the goal was the same: help educators translate TVA’s work into clear career pathways for students.

Seeing the Workforce Behind the Mission

Patty Thomas, Alcoa City Schools Career Technical Education leader, signed up with workforce planning in mind. In her career and technical education role, she helps evaluate new school programs and wanted to learn how districts can support regional workforce needs.

“We’ve just started an aviation program, and I wanted to find out where those certifications can lead our students,” she said. “Seeing the variety of skill sets needed gives us information we can take back to instructors, students and parents.”

History, Research and a River Managed in Real Time

At Norris Dam, educators saw how TVA’s history and current operations work side by side. Nearby, the Norris Labs and River Forecast Center stops showed educators how engineering, testing, weather information, modeling and operational judgment support decisions across that system.

“I didn’t even know the River Forecast Center existed, and the engineering lab felt like a hidden gem,” Thomas said. She also valued hearing that TVA needs more than electricians and engineers. “You’re going to need pipefitters, welders and machinists. That supports what we’re trying to do in career and technical education.”

Dennis Yankee, TVA’s senior manager of Instrumentation Engineering and Field Services, said that was exactly the aim of the program: “When we share our work with teachers, we are equipping them to help their students understand the variety of career paths available to them at TVA.”

A New View of Grid Reliability

At the System Operations Center, real-time data demonstrated the coordination required to maintain reliable electric service. Glenn Perry, who supports career exploration across Hamilton County Schools, said the operations floor was a highlight.

“The amount of data coming in for people to see and process was amazing,” he said, noting the constant monitoring of generation and grid conditions across TVA’s seven-state service territory.

“Our operators make critical decisions every day to ensure the reliability of the power system, often under rapidly changing conditions,” said Jen Conner, TVA’s project manager for Central Operations and Infrastructure. “Giving educators a firsthand look at what happens inside our control centers helps connect what students learn in the classroom to real-world careers.”

Aviation Pathways Take Flight

At the Aviation hangar educators learned how aircraft and drones support infrastructure inspections, vegetation mapping, repairs and field crews. They saw career pathways extending beyond piloting to maintenance, unmanned aircraft systems, engineering, data analysis and cybersecurity.

“TVA offers a portfolio that could appeal to almost any interest,” Perry said. “That range is relevant as Hamilton County Schools expands aviation education across more of the district.”

He said the district has an aviation flight program planned for the Franklin Roberts Future Ready Center when it opens downtown in 2028.

“I love welcoming teachers to the hangar because they can help students connect their interests with a future career,” Phil Kanagy, a general manager for Aircraft Services, said. “Sometimes, a teacher’s encouragement is all it takes for a student to discover a passion—and we hope that passion leads them to aviation."

By the end of the externship, teachers saw the various sites as one connected workforce that needs engineers and operators, but also welders, machinists, mechanics, pilots, drone specialists, cybersecurity professionals and many other skilled people.