Future Builders Academy Contract - Aug 22, 2025

Program Description

The Future Builders Academy (“FBA”) is a 4-year immersion program for Civilization Builders combining hands-on building, collaborative design, and open-source product development of housing, infrastructures and architectures, and the Global Village Construction Set. The program blends experiential work, structured learning, and collaborative literacy training to prepare Participants for real-world execution of complex, multi-disciplinary projects, such as saving the world. Each year consists of 10 months of active participation and 2 months of vacation, which may be used for work, study, or both.

The program starts Sep. 1, 2025, and continues through Aug. 31, 2029.

The goal of the program is three-fold:

1. Learning how to design and build just about anything — including homes, machines, infrastructures and architectures, tools, consumer goods, agricultural operations, manufacturing systems, and social systems such as education, banking, legal frameworks, governance models, and social security infrastructures.
2. Learning how to learn and solve problems relevant to pressing world issues.
3. Learning how to be a human — namely, an admired leader and constructive global citizen.

The overarching aim is to cultivate an abundance mindset, which unlocks unlimited possibility across the three areas above.

General Outcomes

Graduates of the FBA are eligible for partnership with OSE as Civilization Builders, with starting salaries of $72,000/year in construction roles, $72k+ in civilization design and architecture roles, or $95,000/year as construction managers. Apprentices also have the option to continue their studies for an additional 4 years in an advanced immersion track comparable to graduate study. This extended track focuses on transitioning from Civilization Builder to Civilization Architect, enabling participants to design new architectures of civilization based on extensive build experience.

4-year – 8-year – 12-year Programs

OSE offers structured advancement opportunities:

• The initial 4-year program produces Civilization Builders.
• The 8-year track develops Civilization Architects.
• The 12-year track prepares Open Source Ecologists, capable of designing and innovating in systems-level design (institutions of civilization).

OSE intends to partner, hire, or otherwise collaborate with Civilization Architect graduates within its ecosystem to deploy about a million OSE campuses worldwide, for Distributed Market Substitution of the current economy with open source.

That is only the beginning. At this point, OSE will be offering the final post-Master’s study (Ph.D.-level equivalent) in the design/build of innovative institutions to evolve and upgrade existing ones. For individuals who meet requirements of hands-on build skills along with multiple key intelligences — including Abundance Mindset, soft skills, design/build ability, enterprise, and other domains — OSE may consider candidates for advanced placement directly into the Master’s or Ph.D.-level programs.

Tracks and Tuition

There are 3 tracks at the Civilization Builder level (4 years of training). The program allows you to - effectively - set your own pay by determining your goals and choosing a curriculum to match.

• Builder Track: The Builder track starts you at $72k per year after you complete our integrated builder apprenticeship in 4 years. The builder track has the most build time - 4 days of work building Seed Eco-Homes, and one day of collaborative literacy curriculum in the Rapid Learning Facility, focusing on collaborative build skills. Tuition: $5023 per year.
• Designer Track: The Civilization Designer track involves the 2 days of work-study and 3 days of class - where you take 9 to 12 credit hours of college-level work . The Designer track adds design and engineering knowhow on top of the Builer Track, along with learning how to lean and problemsolving skills.. Tuition: $15,070 per year.
• Enterprise Track: The Enterprise track starts you off at $95k after you learn to run crews. The Enterprise track involves 2 days of work study and 12 to 15 credit hours - adding leadership focus into the mix for an extra 3-6 credit hours depending on your ambition. This track adds leadership, management, economics on top of the Designer Track. Tuition: $20,090 per year.

Specific Outcomes

Builder Track and Enterprise Track apprentices aim for mastery of OSE Seed Eco-Home builds, attaining mastery in collaborative builds that result in full house builds in only 5 days (approximately 1000 human hours of time). This is based on past build data from over a dozen builds of homes and infrastructure builds. We expect that the current design can be built in 1000 hours by professional grade builders. We expect to train for such skill within 4 years, and that this will take approximately 8000 hours of build study and practice. Most of this practice will be in building, and once students have a grasp on the building aspects, will be cross-fertilized with builds of other machines and infrastructures.

We expect Builder Track students to master technical build skill that yields professional productivity - the ability to build fast and with few mistakes. This includes reading blueprints, using all types of construction tools, and using all types of construction machines.

In the Designer Track, we expect students to master additional design/build skills across all areas of the Global Village Construction Set. These skills are intended to improve and cross-fertilize problem-solving ability in construction. The Designer Track also includes design of new product ecologies related to the Seed Eco-Home and the GVCS - which apprentice engage in as group projects. In addition, the Designer Track includes swarm collaboration skillsets which enable real and virtual design in scalable teams, with practice of design/build in team sizes of 24-240 participants. This is in addition to the content of the Builder Track.

In the Enterprise Track, we expect students to learn all of the above, and to develop sufficient mastery of workflow management, tool control, logistics, sourcing, and other organizational aspects enabling apprentices to run crews of 24 people in swarm builds.

The Rigor of the Abundance Mindset

The Future Builders Academy is founded on the principle that abundance is not a wishful ideal but a rigorous practice. The apprenticeship pay scales offered — beginning at levels that exceed average Ivy League graduate starting salaries — are not accidents, but the result of discipline, collaboration, and a holistic commitment to learning.

Pay Scale Clarification

Apprentice builder pay is based on performance evaluation, measured through self-documented competency tests at the Rapid Learning Facility and benchmarked against industry standards for comparable performance. We take this point seriously, as this can be an effective motivator of apprentice agency.

• $14/hour corresponds to beginner-level competence.
• $35/hour corresponds to expert-level competence, benchmarked against the top 1% of carpenters in the state of Missouri. In the OSE context, this corresponds to the ability to work fast, but without hurrying, and making very few mistakes.

The scale is set effectively by professional-grade performance. The metric of product acceptance is 'meeting spec' - and discovering the rate at which a product was made. For example, for expert time of 1 hour to build something ($35/hour) - if it takes 2.5 hours or longer to build the same - the pay rate is $14. If someone takes 2 hours to build the same to spec, then they will be paid $17.50/hr. If they take 1.4 times as much as pro grade, then they will earn $25/hr. 'Spec' is defined as passing all quality control points. There is no such thing as 'it kinda meets spec.' Either it does or it doesn't. Specifications are defined quantitatively, and meeting spec is defined as the within that spec - which already has tolerance build in - to within 20% error on top of that tolerance. For example, if something needs to be within 0.5", then if the result is 0.6" this still passes. OSE will teach numeracy as a core competency, so that any controversy regarding 'meeting spec' is minimized.

Because OSE employs modular build techniques that are more efficient, combined with a holistic learning approach, we are able to offer these high performance-based pay levels. This is an upfront commitment that we are operating beyond industry efficiency standards, precisely because we are open, collaborative, and committed to an abundance mindset.

The above payscales are determined not as general pay, but pay for performance in each of the 20 trades and sub-tasks within each of the trades. Thus, competency tests will be taken across numerous skill areas, such as framing, cabinetry, flooring, painting, concrete work, water system, electrical, heat pump, solar energy, etc. Differences in pay scale for different trades can be significant between areas, and some areas may have higher or lower knowledge-work requirement vs plain physical labor. Therefore, differences levels of pay for different tasks are normal and expected - and in 4 years the goal is to perform at a high level of competency in each. The progression will be documented transparently with time, so that the apprentice can gauge their progress and pay to pace themselves according to their individual ambition. Before taking on management roles, high competency levels (theoretical understanding of design/build, practical technique, assessment of efficiency, ability to troubleshoot, problemsolving ability, and performance of quality control) are expected.

Competencies are taught before entering the arena - ie, before engaging in actual builds. Quality control standards are kept, as we are producing for market and with building codes in mind. OSE teaches the theoretical and practical aspects of design/build - and evaluation is performed on a regular basis through written and practical exercises. All of these are documented on each person's work log - which is started upon formal acceptance into the program. After class time, competency tests follow - and then the setting of pay. Thus, when engaging in production builds - clarity and transparency are abundant.

To determine pay, the Apprentice follows standards benchmarked upon known mainstream industry standards and upon OSE data collection - or Factor e Farm industry standards. Both sets of standards are collectively called 'industry standards' herein. The process is:

1. OSE class time and hands-on instruction
2. Apprentice study and practice - determined by the Apprentice
3. Performance of specified tasks in the test - with video time lapse. Tasks may be specific short tasks or tasks of longer duration, such as production of multiple modules. This assesses not only performance, but logistics and organizational aspects and context-switching.
4. Documentation of specified quality control points. Pictures and data on critical build features. If any quality control points are not met, they must be corrected during the test.
5. Time correction adjustment is addressed for any missed quality control points. For example, if review indicated a missed quaility control point, time corresponding to the required correction is added to the final time result.
6. Time to complete the tasks is benchmarked against industry standards.

For work time, working hours only are counted. When we say 8 hours of work, that does not take into account breaks or lunch, etc.

For work days, we will engage in radical transparency and we take the study build workflow and ergonomics seriously. Our goal is to learn the quickest pathway to teaching house build workflows capable of producing a comlete home in only 5 days with 24 people. This is a feat that nobody in the world has achieved yet. To get there, we will study the build process intensely, and apprentices are an integral part of this study. Each apprentice will be provided a soundless headcam or body cam, which which will produce a 2 minute time lapse of the whole day (a picture frame every 10 seconds), such that study and feedback on all aspects of the build can be performed. Each week, we will review and learn from the videos, out of which build times of each detail can be extracted. The same headcam or body cam will be used in performance exams for setting pay scale.

Expectations

• Apprentices are required to engage in the learning necessary (as determined by OSE’s curriculum and evaluators).
• Apprentices are expected to document their performance transparently to track their growth, validate their progress toward pay increases, and set a replicable example for others.

This transparency and rigor forms part of OSE’s mission to place apprentices on a globally significant path toward practical post-scarcity.

OSE’s Philosophy

• Abundance is not a “hippie” ideal, but a path of practical dedication.
• Anyone who commits to this rigorous path of learning — provided they possess the moral intelligence to pursue a deeper purpose — can succeed in this program.
• Apprentices are expected to expand their consciousness, abilities, and index of possibilities beyond what they previously thought imaginable.
• OSE commits to guiding apprentices on this path, rewarding them with opportunities to grow pay scales, responsibilities, and leadership capacity.
• Participants are encouraged to set audacious goals, track their growth, and document their processes so future cohorts can build on their footprints.

OSE’s Mission Alignment

This commitment is not only personal but planetary. By increasing the index of possibilities for human growth and collaboration, OSE delivers on its promise: to create a culture of abundance through open source product development and collaborative innovation.

Remote Participation

While the Future Builders Academy emphasizes in-person immersion, we also offere remote participation opportunities in three distinct areas of the Future Builders Academy:

• Contributors with Access to Facilities — Individuals or organizations with access to fabrication equipment, workshops, or production facilities (“capital and plant”) may collaborate remotely on prototyping and product development. These participants are expected to join select on-site Extreme Design-Build events to integrate their work with in-person teams.

• Learning How to Learn Track — A distinct educational track focused on meta-learning skills, teaching methodologies, and the practice of learning by teaching. This track is designed for remote delivery, with practical collaboration using information and communications technology (ICT). Collaborative learning is emphasized.

• Extreme Collaboration Track — For participants seeking to master the skills of operating within coordinated, large-scale, and distributed product development teams. This track trains participants in scalable enterprise-scale collaboration methods, with a focus on open-source product development cycles in high-performance collaborative teams.

Curriculum

Take a look at the general overview of the OSE Curriculum and tracks offered.

The curriculum will include:

• Collaborative design/build of Global Village Construction Set (GVCS) machines and infrastructures, starting with housing
• Special topics based on current projects and student requests
• Focus on the 2028 GVCS completion goal
• Cross-training in 20+ trades, metal fabrication, construction, agriculture, and enterprise development
• Integration of technical, design, collaborative, and leadership skills

The Future Builders Academy builder build skill curriculum extends beyond technical training to incorporate:

• Collaborative workflows
• Ergonomics
• Production engineering
• Human factors

The above areas of applied study are intended to set benchmarks for an abundance-based civilization.

The program integrates qualitative and quantitative studies, with data collection performed on a regular basis throughout the program. This ensures that apprentices are not only gaining individual skills, but also contributing to collective knowledge-building about how humans can collaborate more effectively in design, build, and enterprise environments.

OSE Responsibilities

OSE will provide:

• Access to training facilities, tools, and materials necessary for program activities
• Instruction, mentorship, and feedback from experienced builders and designers
• Curriculum updates based on current project needs and participant feedback
• Safety training, oversight, and enforcement of safety policies
• Housing options or assistance for on-site participants
• Coordination of collaborative projects and integration with OSE’s global network
• Fiber internet

Participant Responsibilities

Participants agree to:

• Attend all scheduled work-study, Rapid Learning Facility, and class sessions unless excused
• Meet baseline collaborative literacy expectations (helpful, situationally aware, constructive participation)
• Follow safety protocols at all times
• Respect all tools, equipment, and facilities
• Contribute to campus tasks (2 hrs/week)
• Maintain sobriety during program activities and comply with OSE’s drug policy
• Complete assigned collaborative documentation and knowledge-sharing tasks

Infrastructure Use

Participants will have access to OSE infrastructures, tools, machinery, and digital platforms. Use is limited to program-related activities unless prior written approval is granted. All property must be treated with care. Each apprentice will be given their set of personal tools, if they do not have their own, and the apprentice will be responsible for replacement of lost tools, or for replacement in case of egregious misuse. Egregious misuse is using tools recklessly, in a way prohibited or warned-against in user manuals - with the exception of mutual agreement with OSE to use of modify the tool in a nonstandard way.

Collaboration Requirements

Baseline collaborative literacy includes:

• Being helpful and solution-oriented
• Demonstrating situational awareness and responsiveness to team needs
• Communicating openly, clearly, and respectfully
• Contributing to shared documentation and design repositories

Tactical aspects include:

• Bringing a notebook and taking notes at all times to maximize learning - whether during class, work-study, and collaboration activities in the Rapid Learning Facility.
• Logging in a Work Log on the wiki - to document one's learning journey and to collaborate openly with others. This is also used to publish one's tests and proficiency burndown graphs. Keeping track of one's overall hours, which are logged transparently to document the overall time to open source civilization.
• Using public repositories such as Google Photos to upload photos of in-progress work
• Using agreed-upon social media to collaborate openly with the greater world
• Keeping an collaborative social media thread for upload of media and text related to ongoing progress

Work Study & Skill Certification

• Work-study pay is tied to skill certification levels in specific trades or tasks
• Participants may earn additional pay for taking on extra work or leadership roles
• Pay rates increase with demonstrated competency and verified skill progression

Duration of Contract

This Agreement intends to cover the full 4-year immersion program unless terminated earlier by either party under the Termination section. OSE and Apprentice will keep open communication on progress and needs, and may modify terms with mutual, written agreement.

Acceptance

Formal acceptance and enrollment requires:

• Signed Apprentice Contract
• Payment arrangements - tuition and payment schedule will be outlined in Appendix A.

• Signed liability waiver
• Signed photographic release

Liability Waiver

Participants acknowledge that program activities involve inherent risks, including but not limited to the use of power tools, machinery, and construction sites. Participants voluntarily assume these risks and agree to hold Open Source Ecology harmless from any liability, including that arising from ordinary negligence, except in cases of gross negligence or willful misconduct. Please read and sign the OSE Liability Waiver.

Photographic Release

Participants grant OSE permission to photograph, film, or record them during program activities for promotional, educational, and documentation purposes - unless otherwise noted. Please view and sign the Media Release.

Drug Policy

There shall be no use, possession, or distribution of illegal drugs (including cannabis under Missouri law) during program activities or on OSE property. Violation may result in dismissal.

Dismissal Conditions

Apprentices may be dismissed under the following conditions of misconduct, defined as willful violation of rules, standards, or community norms:

• Failure to collaborate openly, including withholding or concealing know-how that should be openly published.
• Repeated failure to wear the documentation body cam or head cam during work days (2 work days, or more if apprentice works more days).
• Repeated violation of clear safety rules.
• Repeated violation of respectful conduct to others, including but not limited to insults, personal attacks, harassment, or ad hominem behavior.
• Toxic, disruptive, or persistently disrespectful conduct such as persistent negativity, hostility, or disruptive conduct that materially undermines the collaborative culture or supportive learning environment.
• Absenteeism or tardiness without valid excuse, especially after warnings.
• Theft, dishonesty, insubordination, or other acts of bad faith.
• Showing up under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
• Destruction of property or endangerment of others.

Legal and Financial

OSE apprenticeship participants who are accepted formally into the program are officially employees of OSE. OSE is currently applying for workers compensation, and is expected to achieve coverage recognition withing 2-4 months. OSE withholds FICA and unemployment taxes, at a rate of approximately 8%, and state + federal income taxes. Work-study pay will be issued via Patriot Payroll.