Tennessee Nuclear Network invited BWRx Studio to join their Workforce Development Committee.
We didn't apply. We didn't pitch. They asked.
TN² is Tennessee's official nuclear partnership, powered by the East Tennessee Economic Council. It brings together TVA, ORAU, ETEC, and more than 135 individuals representing 75 nuclear-focused organizations statewide — industry, research, academia, and government in one coalition.
Governor Bill Lee designated ETEC's Nuclear Working Group as the Tennessee Nuclear Network in July 2025. The Workforce Development Committee is one of four working committees inside that structure. Its charge: connect education, training, and industry partners to align programs and address Tennessee's nuclear workforce needs.
Mission: Connects education, training, and industry partners to align programs and address Tennessee's nuclear workforce needs.
BWRx Studio's role: The front end of the pipeline — high school students and career changers who need a foundation before they ever see a job posting.
The nuclear workforce shortage isn't a surprise. It's been visible for years. The question has always been where the pipeline starts — who catches the student before the job posting exists, before the utility training program begins, before the community college enrollment form gets filled out.
NUCLEUS is that starting point. Nuclear physics and reactor theory, built on DOE Fundamentals Handbooks, taught by a Licensed Senior Reactor Operator with 45 years in the industry. No prerequisites. Open to high school students, homeschool families, and adult career changers.
The pipeline doesn't start at the job posting. It starts in a classroom — and it starts the moment someone finds out nuclear is an option.
A standing seat on the TN² Workforce Development Committee means BWRx Studio is now part of the state's official answer to that question. Not watching the conversation from outside. In the room.
The state has 19 recommendations from the Tennessee Nuclear Energy Advisory Council, a designated statewide nuclear partnership in TN², and a growing coalition of employers, universities, and economic development organizations all pointed at the same problem. The infrastructure is being built.
The workforce pipeline has to be built at the same pace. That starts at the high school level. It runs through career changers. It feeds every tier of the workforce before industry needs to fill the seat.
That is what NUCLEUS does. And now it is part of the state's strategy.
No prerequisites. Open to high school students, homeschool families, and adult career changers. Cohort 1 starts August 10, 2026. 12 seats remaining.
Secure Your Seat →