A new interactive aviation experience planned for Muse Knoxville’s expanded science and discovery center will introduce children and youth to the science of flight and the growing career opportunities available in East Tennessee’s aviation industry, building on regional workforce development efforts led by the Blount Partnership.
The aviation experience will be part of Muse Knoxville’s planned Sky & Beyond exhibit zone at its future home in the Jacob Building in East Knoxville. The larger expansion will transform the building into a multigenerational science center with expanded opportunities for hands-on science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) learning.
As Muse develops the new science center, the organization has engaged students, educators and industry partners to help shape its exhibits and programming. That process has included participation in the Blount Partnership’s Aviation Workforce Committee, where Muse has heard directly from employers and educators about the skills, technology and career pathways shaping the industry. That input is helping inform the aviation component of the Sky & Beyond experience.
“Workforce development starts long before someone applies for their first job,” said Jessica Belitz, director of workforce development for the Blount Partnership. “It starts when a child has an experience that sparks curiosity or helps them imagine a future they had never considered. Our collaboration with Muse gives us an opportunity to build that awareness early and connect it to real career pathways in our region.”
The collaboration is part of a broader effort to introduce Blount County students to aviation careers. In 2025, Pellissippi State Community College launched its FAA-certified Aviation Technology program at its Blount County campus in collaboration with the Blount Partnership and regional aviation partners. The program prepares Airframe and Powerplant maintenance technicians, with its first class graduating this year.
The Partnership is also using a TVA Workforce Invest grant to purchase two We Build It Better programs, which expose area middle school students to industry tools, technology and technical skills through hands-on STEAM and aviation-related activities.
“Children learn best when they can see, touch and explore the world around them, and aviation gives us an incredible way to bring so many STEAM concepts to life,” said Katie Mixon, Muse Vice President of Advancement. “Working with the Blount Partnership and its Aviation Workforce Committee has allowed us to learn directly from people working in and preparing students for this industry. We want children to leave Muse excited about how flight works and beginning to imagine where that curiosity could take them.”
Muse’s connection to Blount County extends beyond the new exhibit. Since 2020, nearly 70,000 elementary students from Alcoa City Schools, Blount County Schools, Maryville City Schools and Clayton-Bradley Academy have participated in Muse field trips and STEM in the Classroom experiences at no cost to their schools or families, thanks to a long-standing partnership with Clayton. Mr. Jim Clayton, founder of Clayton, and the Clayton Family Foundation have invested $25 million into the Muse Capital Project and have prioritized aviation as a focus of Muse’s expansion.
“We want young people growing up in our community to know these opportunities exist,” Belitz said. “A student might first become interested in aviation through a Muse experience, explore those skills further in middle school and eventually discover there is a training program available right here in Blount County.”
Muse Knoxville’s expansion will transform the city-owned Jacob Building in East Knoxville into a multigenerational science center. More than $28 million has been committed to the project, including a $25 million investment from the Clayton Family Foundation. The expansion, which includes the conceptual Sky & Beyond exhibit zone, is expected to be completed in September 2028.
