Kids TradesAcademy
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The Progression System

How a child grows at KTA

Four age tracks, six levels and one journey that starts at a first birthday build and can run all the way to an optional career track — with the passport following the child the entire way.

See the Skill PassportExplore skill trees
The ultimate journey

From a first build to a future path

This is the journey we built the whole academy around. A child can enter at any point — a party, a camp, a club — and the passport simply picks up where they are.

  1. 🎂

    First Birthday Build

    Step 01

    The passport is created the day a child walks in — even as a guest.

  2. 🔎

    Explorer

    Step 02

    Safety, tools and a first completed build.

  3. 🛠

    Saturday Workshop

    Step 03

    Skill badges begin stacking on the foundation.

  4. 🔨

    Builder

    Step 04

    Measure, assemble and complete a project from a plan.

  5. ☀️

    Summer Camp

    Step 05

    Accelerated multi-skill progress across five days.

  6. 🧰

    Maker

    Step 06

    Skills connect into systems: framing, power, flow, climate.

  7. 📅

    Build Club / Homeschool

    Step 07

    The continuous pathway — choose a trade skill tree and go deep.

  8. ⚙️

    Capstone Builds

    Step 08

    Open-ended challenges where students design the solution.

  9. 🏗

    Project Lead

    Step 09

    Plan, budget, sequence and lead a team build.

  10. 🎓

    Teen Trades

    Step 10

    Specialty labs, guest tradespeople and company visits.

  11. 🧭

    Trade Pathfinder

    Step 11

    Answer the real question: what am I good at, and what do I enjoy?

  12. 🚀

    Optional Career Track

    Step 12

    Industry-aligned pre-apprenticeship, college, apprenticeship or career.

Four age journeys

The right challenge for the right age

We teach a seven-year-old and a sixteen-year-old from different curricula. Each track has its own goal — confidence, foundation, exploration, leadership.

Explorers

7–9

Core goal

Confidence + curiosity

Experience

Discover tools, materials and making

  • Safe shop behavior
  • Tool identification
  • Simple assembly
  • First take-home builds

Short sessions, high supervision, maximum encouragement.

Builders

10–12

Core goal

Foundation skills

Experience

Measure, construct, troubleshoot

  • Measurement and layout
  • Fastening
  • Hand tools
  • Intro powered tools
  • Simple plans

The level where accuracy becomes a habit.

Makers

13–15

Core goal

Trade exploration

Experience

Systems, trades and larger projects

  • Multi-day builds
  • Framing and drywall
  • Circuits and plumbing basics
  • AI-free hands-on problem solving

Skills start connecting into whole systems.

Pathfinders

16–17

Core goal

Career exploration + leadership

Experience

Advanced projects, careers, mentoring

  • Specialty pathways
  • Project leadership
  • Guest tradespeople
  • Career visits and portfolio

Built to answer: what am I good at, and what do I enjoy?

Six KTA levels

A climbable ladder, not a leaderboard

Levels cut across every program. A student could start at a birthday party and progress all the way into the teen pathway — and each level requires both XP and verified requirements.

🔎

Level 1

Explorer

Ages 7+

I know how to behave safely in a workshop and I can build something.

I can safely explore
Wear safety glasses correctlyRespect the safe work zoneDress properly for the shopIdentify unsafe behaviorAsk before using equipmentClean the work areaIdentify basic toolsFollow simple instructionsMeasure simple dimensions

Capstone · My First Build

Toolbox, planter, race car, birdhouse or sign.

Unlocks

Unlocks Builder Level

🔨

Level 2

Builder

Ages 8–12+

I can measure, assemble and complete a project.

I can follow a plan and build
Read inches and fractionsMark and draw square linesWork with basic anglesUse nails, screws, bolts, nuts and washersUse hammer, screwdriver, wrench and ratchetUse a hand saw where appropriateUse approved age-appropriate powered toolsSelect wood, PVC, fasteners and drywall

Capstone · Builder Challenge

Read a simple plan and build the object it describes.

Unlocks

Unlocks Maker Level

Gate: 750 Build XP

🧰

Level 3

Maker

Ages 10–14+

I can use core skills on my own and see how systems connect.

I can independently use core skills
Construction sequencingFraming conceptsElectrical fundamentalsPlumbing fundamentalsHVAC fundamentalsLow-voltage systemsApplied mathTroubleshooting

Capstone · Build a Room

A miniature wall section: stud framing, electrical box, wire pathway, plumbing pathway, insulation, drywall, paint finish and a smart-home component.

Unlocks

Unlocks Craft Builder Level

Gate: 2,000 Build XP

⚙️

Level 4

Craft Builder

Ages 12–16+

I don't just follow instructions — I can figure things out.

I can solve problems and combine skills
Plan readingMaterial estimationBudgetingDesignProblem solvingQuality inspectionReworkSystems thinking

Capstone · Open Design Challenge

"We need storage for twelve tools in a 30-inch-wide space. Design a solution."

Unlocks

Unlocks Project Lead Level

Gate: 4,000 Build XP

🏗

Level 5

Project Lead

Ages 14–17

I can plan and complete a project with a team.

I can plan and lead a complete build
Define project scopeProduce drawingsTake measurementsWrite a material listBuild a cost estimateAssign tasksWrite a safety planSequence the buildInspect qualityPresent the finished work

Capstone · Team Build

Lead a small crew from drawing to final presentation.

Unlocks

Unlocks Trade Pathfinder Level

Gate: 7,000 Build XP

🧭

Level 6

Trade Pathfinder

Ages 15–17

I can go deep in a specialty and help someone else get started.

I can explore specialized trade pathways and mentor others
Advance two specialty pathwaysComplete a career exploration interviewAttend a company or site visitRun a junior mentor sessionPresent a capstone portfolio

Capstone · Pathway Capstone

A specialty build presented to instructors and a guest tradesperson.

Unlocks

Opens the optional career track

Gate: 11,000 Build XP

Membership changes access, not skill

Parents buy access. Kids earn advancement.

We would never build a system where a parent can effectively buy a higher skill level. Membership determines what a family can attend and how fast they can move — never what a child is certified to do.

Birthday Guest

A single celebration

Earn XP + discovery badges

Workshop Student

Saturday workshops

Earn project + skill progress

Camp Builder

Holiday & summer camps

Accelerated multi-skill progress

Build Club Member

Weekly after-school club

Continuous skill pathway

Homeschool Member

Weekly daytime curriculum

Full structured 6-semester curriculum

Teen Trades Member

Specialty teen labs

Specialty trade pathways

KTA Unlimited

Multiple pathways & open build

Access to every skill tree

Where this leads
🧭

A digital résumé of what a kid knows how to do.

Years of projects, photographs, badges, instructor feedback and verified competencies — far bigger than a loyalty program, and the part of KTA that is genuinely hard to copy.

Read the parent guide