Tech Builder is SkillCat's four-level apprenticeship track for residential service technicians. This article covers what the program includes, how to place your techs at the right level, how to set a realistic pace, and how to assign the training in your dashboard.
What is the Tech Builder program?
Tech Builder takes an apprentice from day one to job-ready across four levels: Foundations, Basics, Intermediate, and Advanced. It's available for HVAC, Plumbing, and Electrical.
Graduates who complete all four levels and all skill practice activities perform at a five-star service experience level and generate $25,000–$40,000 in average revenue per month.
The three tracks
Trade | Courses | Total hours | Techs will be able to |
HVAC | 100 | 447 | Install residential HVAC system components; diagnose and resolve issues in existing installations; diagnose and maintain residential systems; prepare for EPA 608 and NATE-aligned exams |
Plumbing | 88 | 341.1 | Apply the UPC/IPC to residential service calls; install fixtures, water heaters, and gas piping; diagnose and repair common plumbing issues; recognize dangers in existing installations and offer solutions |
Electrical | 81 | 214.4 | Apply the NEC to residential service calls; size conductors, raceways, and overcurrent protection; wire a variety of residential systems; recognize dangers in existing installations and offer solutions |
The four levels
Level | HVAC | Plumbing | Electrical |
Level 1 — Foundations | Safety, tools, theory & basics (33 courses) | Safety, tools, theory & materials (33 courses) | Safety, tools, theory & materials (29 courses) |
Level 2 — Basics | Preventative maintenance (26 courses) | Fixture replacements & installation (19 courses) | Basic installations & system sizing (18 courses) |
Level 3 — Intermediate | Install, airflow & duct modifications (18 courses) | Troubleshooting, drain & gas systems (18 courses) | Conduit installations & upgrades (21 courses) |
Level 4 — Advanced | Diagnostics, repairs & replacements (23 courses) | Alterations, commercial & advanced systems (18 courses) | Advanced troubleshooting, service & panels (13 courses) |
Step 1: Decide where to place your techs
Not every tech starts at Level 1. Use the Tech Builder placement exam to find the right entry point. Placement exams are available for HVAC, Plumbing, and Electrical.
Send the placement exam
Go to your Dashboard.
Open Assessments.
Scroll to the Tech Builder placement exam for the trade you need.
Copy the link and send it to your techs.
Read the results
When a tech finishes, open their session details. The Performance by Tag section breaks their score out by level, so you can see exactly where their knowledge drops off.
 Assign levels 3+4 |
 Assign all 4 levels |
Any level scoring below 70% is a level to assign training for. Levels scoring 70% or above can be skipped — the tech has already demonstrated that knowledge.
Example: a tech scores 85% on Level 1 and 87% on Level 2, but 74% on Level 4 and 64% on Level 3. Start their plan at Level 3.
Step 2: Determine the pacing of the program
Once you know which levels each tech needs, use the Program Pacing Estimator to build a realistic schedule.
Choose the Tech Builder program you need, plus any other learning plans you want to add to the tech's plan.
Set the program start date.
Choose how many lessons per week your techs will complete — or switch to Set a deadline and let the tool calculate the cadence for you.
The estimator returns the estimated graduation date, total program length in weeks, average hours per week, the peak workload week, and a full course-by-course schedule you can export to CSV or share by link.
Tip: three courses per week is the standard pace. Check the average hours per week before you commit, a pace that looks reasonable on paper can land on top of a busy season.
Step 3: Assign the training and pair it with skill practice
Assign the learning plan to each tech from your Dashboard, starting at the level their placement exam indicated. Make sure to utilize due dates that are included in the pacing tool.
Pair each course with its matching in-field assessment from the Skill Practice Library.
Skill practice is where the majority of program hours live, and it's what separates a tech who has watched the content from a tech who can do the work. Graduates only hit the five-star performance and revenue outcomes above when they complete all four levels and all skill practice activities.
Quick reference
Task | Where to go |
Send a placement exam | Dashboard → Assessments → Tech Builder placement exam |
Build a schedule | |
Find in-field assessments | |
Assign a learning plan | Dashboard > learning plans |
Still have questions? Reach out to [email protected].