Transmission Electrician

Jonathan McCullough joined TVA in 2010 as an electrician for transmission maintenance.

He’d been working in the industrial manufacturing industry where he worked to keep automotive assembly lines running. But he was offered a buy-out during the Great Recession in 2009. He went back to school to work toward a degree, but his father asked if he’d ever looked into TVA.

That weekend, McCullough found a job posting and applied. He joined TVA’s apprenticeship program.

“We care if the lights are on, because our power is what keeps the businesses running – it’s what makes life better for the people we serve,” McCullough said.

A Day in the Life

As a substation maintenance electrician, McCullough looks for ways to make TVA quicker, better and more efficient.

He updates transmission substation equipment – like relays, breakers or capacitor banks – with new equipment. TVA’s transmission electricians build, repair and maintain all of TVA’s substations – where TVA’s transmission lines deliver electricity to local power companies to distribute to homes, schools and businesses.

Electricity can be dangerous to work with. That’s why safety is a core part of the TVA electrician’s work.

“I’ve never seen a time at TVA when there was a backlash for standing down when a job or task didn’t feel right,” he said. This focus on safety is what allows TVA’s workforce to deliver reliable power around the clock.

Becoming a Transmission Electrician

McCullough attended a Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) and went through TVA’s electrician apprenticeship program.

TVA requires apprenticeship applicants to:

• Complete high school or equivalent
• Have a valid driver’s license
• Pass the Electrical Training Alliance Aptitude Test

If you have experience in electrical work, it can help qualify for additional responsibility or training. TVA will post openings for the apprentice program under Careers and invite applicants who meet the minimum qualifications to take the aptitude test.

The apprenticeship is a paid training program. Apprentices work with journeymen electricians and earn a starting pay of $62,895. Once training is complete – in about 2 and a half years – apprentices move into the role of electrician earning a starting salary of $110,345 a year.