Class Descriptions

For more information or to register for a class, go to  www.tvppa.com

Line Design/Staking Certification Training 5
Aug. 7-9 • One Century Place • Nashville, TN 
Stage 5 of the Power Line Design series takes students beyond the basics of power line design and staking and focuses on reliability and efficiency in design. Factors that contribute to the aging power infrastructure are introduced and ways to analyze and correct or improve problems most cost effectively are discussed. Students learn mechanical loading options for multi-circuits, and are guided through the process of calculating loads on manufactured structures. The current NESC is reviewed and students learn when and how to apply Rule 250 C and D. Electric-utility standards (public power, municipalities, RUS) are defined and students discuss procedure to keep their own utility compliant. The certification test for this stage will be given on the last day. Course handbook provided.

Line Apprentice Final Exam
Aug. 8-10 • Bellefonte Training Site • Scottsboro, AL
The 2.5-day exam consists of a 110-question written test and a series of physical skills lab demonstrations. The written test includes questions covering objectives in Units 1-4 of the Lineman Apprenticeship Program. The skills lab demonstrations include objectives from Labs 1-5 and will vary for each final exam. Demonstration requirements will not be revealed for each exam until students are on the field. Scoring of the overall exam is weighted 40 percent for the written test and 60 percent for the skills lab demonstrations.

APPA Safety Manual Review
Aug. 10 • Morrisown, TN, US 
The American Public Power Association’s Safety Manual helps establish the fundamentals of compliance and instill best practices to establish a commitment to a safe work culture for utility employees. The manual has been revised and expanded since its last publication in 2012 to incorporate a number of U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and other federal and industry standards.

Line Apprentice Lab 1 Fundamentals
Aug. 14-18 • Bellefonte Training Site • Scottsboro, AL
Includes safety, PPE inspection, testing the line to be energized, equal-potential grounding, single/three-phase, rigging, pole-top rescue, aluminum/copper ties, minimum approach distances, OSHA 1910.269, work-area protection.

Budgeting/Finance/Accounting for Accountants
Aug. 15-16 • One Century Place • Nashville, TN 
This course covers the accounting and financial functions of a utility system. Participants study basic accounting practices and procedures including balance sheets, income/operating statements, plant accounting, performance ratios and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. This is a NASBA-approved class. The instructional delivery method is “group-live.” You will receive 14 CPE credits in the Finance field of study. The program level is Advanced. There are no prerequisites for this course.

OSHA Utility Work Practices Rule Compliance
Aug. 16 • Bellefonte Training Site • Scottsboro, AL 
This workshop covers the background, overall scope, application, and specific regulatory requirements of the Occupational Safety & Health Administration's Safety Rule 1910.269.

Critical Decision Making
Aug. 16-17 • Lenoir City, TN, Event Center
Aug. 22-23 • TECA •  Nashville, TN
Every day, you are called upon to make important decisions. Bad decisions can have major service impacts, interfere with your effectiveness and influence customer support for your business. Decisions that could affect our well-being, or that of others, and made under intense pressure are referred to as critical decisions. The National Safety Council (NSC) reports that 44 linemen died in work-related incidents in 2013. Compare this with the FBI’s report that 49 police officers died due to non-criminal causes in the same period. The NSC reports that many incidents occur during routine tasks because workers become too comfortable and complacent. Recognizing the importance of proper mindset, more utility companies are interviewing candidates based on attitude and mental aptitude, not necessarily on specified skill sets that can be developed later through training. This bears a striking similarity to recent trends in law-enforcement hiring practices. Understanding the above, we must ask ourselves: Is there a way to improve our ability to make critical decisions? In this program, you will be provided with some useful tools to improve your ability to make the sort of critical decisions you’re faced with every day of your career working in the public-utility industry.

Utility Law
Aug. 16-17 • Miller & Martin • Chattanooga, TN 
This course reviews the legal problems that can occur in electric-utility-system management. Participants study issues related to the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA), TVA and government regulations, system design, contract use and negotiation, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and employee benefits. As well as billing, collections and energy diversion, purchasing practices and procedures, vehicle operation, easement and property acquisitions, and the operations and liabilities of a utility’s governing board. This is a NASBA-approved class. The instructional delivery method is “group-live.” You will receive 14 CPE credits in the Business Law field of study. In accordance with the standards of the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, CPE credits have been granted based on a 50-minute hour. The program level is Advanced. There are no prerequisites for this course.

Rigging/Hoisting/Hand & Power Tool Safety
Aug. 17 • Bellefonte Training Site • Scottsboro, AL 
Participants gain an overview of rigging equipment and practices, inspections/records on chokers/slings, lifting equipment inspections and regulations, maintenance/inspection of hand/power tools, safe work practices, machine guarding requirements, employee training/records; and personal protective equipment.

Developing Team-Based Environment
Aug. 17 • One Century Place • Nashville, TN 
During this class, participants are introduced to the methods of developing teamwork and synergy among employees, the concept of empowerment and how to use it effectively, ways of developing trust in the workplace and among employees, and methods for operating team-based meetings. In addition, participants discuss quality issues, such as quality circles, business units, self-directed work teams, task teams, and cross-functional teams. The seminar concludes with methods for sustaining continuous quality improvement. This is a NASBA-approved class. The instructional delivery method is “group-live.” You will receive 7 CPE credits in the Communications field of study. The program level is Basic. There are no prerequisites for this course.

Line Apprentice Pre-Apprentice Workshop
Aug. 20-26 • Bellefonte Training Site • Scottsboro, AL
The TVPPA Pre-Apprentice Assessment Workshop is a 6.5-day class designed to help determine whether an employee or potential employee is suited for the demanding role of line apprentice. Candidates are assessed on their abilities to learn the various aspects of line work, especially climbing. Individual sessions focus on the hazards of electricity, grounding and rigging. Participants stay physically and mentally challenged for the duration of the course and are placed “on call” at night. In addition to classroom discussion and hands-on exercises, students are assigned homework and tested extensively.

Line Apprentice Lab 5 Troubleshooting
Aug. 21-25 • Greeneville, TN, L & P
Includes safety, PPE, hot line tools, protective devices, OSHA/NFPA standards, testing line voltage, substation, breakers, regulators, capacitors, troubleshooting techniques.

Line Apprentice Lab 3 Operations
Aug. 21-25 • Jackson, TN, EA
Include safety, job briefings, single-phase theory, single-phase transformer connections, banking single-phase transformer theory, three-phase transformer connections, aerial lift in pre-flight inspection/bucket safety, bucket-truck rescue.

Organizational Liability/Managing Risk
Aug. 22-23 • TVPPA • Chattanooga, TN 
During this two-day course, you will discuss how responsibilities of human resources professional cross into many very important areas of the organization, including risk management. Topics such as safety, OSHA compliance requirements and record keeping, liabilities, security, drug testing, workplace violence and terrorism, as well as issues such as worker`s compensation, will be covered. Real-world examples and strategies for risk management will be reviewed for you to gain insight on how others have handled various situations.

Interpersonal Supervisory Skills 2
Aug. 23-24 • TVPPA • Chattanooga, TN 
This seminar includes three modules: Positive Reinforcement for Improved Performance illustrates how to make employees more productive through positive supervision; Assessing Employee Performance demonstrates the most effective techniques for measuring results against actual performance; and Using Positive Discipline gives specific guidelines and standards for changing unacceptable behavior without adverse consequences. This course requires completion of prerequisite courses.

Bridging The Generation Gap
Aug. 25 • One Century Place • Nashville, TN 
With multiple generations of employees come multiple sets of attitudes and expectations. This course will the values and characteristics of Traditionals, Baby Boomers, Generation X and Millennials (plus a preview of Generation Z); how to meet employee expectations in recruiting and retention, how to manage the generations effectively and tips for fostering a workplace culture where all generations can contribute to their full potential by building on shared values and capitalizing on generational strengths.

Modeling/Analysis of Distribution Systems
Aug. 28-Sept. 1 • One Century Place • Nashville, TN 
This is the third course in TVPPA's Professional Distribution Engineer (PDE) program. Combining the topics from the first two courses of the program, basics of distribution circuit analysis methods and the modeling of the various individual components of the distribution system, the class addresses system-level studies. The main distribution system analysis problems of power flow and short circuits will be specifically addressed. The theoretical basis for power flow and short circuit calculations will be combined and applied to small problems suitable for hand calculations and numerical solutions of large systems using a popular commercial-grade distribution analysis software package.

Quantities/Quality/Pricing Supplier Selection
Aug. 29-30 • TVPPA • Chattanooga, TN 
This class will examine the important aspects of the purchasing world and how those relate to local power companies in the valley. Topics discussed will include, EOQ, OPM, the 5 Ws, MRO, centralization and decentralization, policies and procedures, ROP, SOE, contracts, negotiation, quality metrics, supplier selection, and SPC.