Terms of Service

Welcome to KinTrades! These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of our platform. By creating an account or using our services, you agree to these Terms. Please read them carefully.

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using KinTrades, you agree to:

• Be bound by these Terms of Service
• Comply with our Privacy Policy
• Follow all applicable laws and regulations
• Be at least 18 years old

If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not use our platform.

2. Eligibility

2.1 Age Requirements

• You must be at least 18 years old to use KinTrades
• During worker account creation, you must affirmatively confirm that you are 18 or older by checking a required checkbox. This attestation is recorded server-side with a timestamp as a condition of worker platform access.
• Employer account creation is not gated on a separate age checkbox — choosing the employer role implies you are operating on behalf of a business and are 18 or older.
• Falsely attesting to being 18 or older when you are not is a violation of these Terms and grounds for immediate account termination and deletion of associated data
• If we learn that a user is under 18, we will terminate their account
• Public pages (including training resources, the student resources page, and public job listings) are informational and may be viewed without creating an account. Under-18 users are welcome to browse these resources.

2.2 Account Requirements

• You must provide accurate and complete information
• You are responsible for maintaining account security
• One person may not maintain multiple accounts
• Accounts are non-transferable

3. User Accounts

3.1 Account Creation

When you create an account, you agree to:

• Provide true, accurate, current, and complete information
• Maintain and update your information to keep it accurate
• Keep the email address used for sign-in secure, and protect access to the inbox where one-time codes (OTPs) are delivered (KinTrades does not use passwords — sign-in is via Microsoft Entra OTP)
• Notify us immediately of any unauthorized account access
• Accept responsibility for all activities under your account

3.2 Account Types

• Workers: Skilled trade workers seeking employment opportunities — including second-chance workers, veterans, and those entering the trades through alternative pathways
• Employers: Companies, contractors, and organizations posting job opportunities and hiring skilled trades workers

Who may hold an account. KinTrades accounts are for two groups only: individual workers seeking employment for themselves, and employers hiring workers for their own business.

Who may not. The following may not create or hold a worker or employer account:

• Workforce agencies, training providers, schools, nonprofits, case managers, and reentry or job-readiness programs — whether registering on their own behalf or on behalf of the people they serve. Creating a worker account for a participant, or an employer account to browse workers, is not permitted regardless of intent.
• Third-party recruiters, sourcers, and lead generators who collect or contact workers in order to refer, place, or sell them to another company that will employ them.
• Anyone creating an account for someone else, or sharing account credentials.

We remove accounts we find in these categories. Where a program has participants who belong on the platform, those individuals create their own accounts, in their own names, and control their own profiles.

Staffing and labor-provider firms are employers here, if they employ the worker. A staffing agency, temp agency, or labor provider may hold an employer account when it is the employer of record — it hires the worker itself, puts them on its own payroll, and is responsible for their pay and employment — even though the work is performed at a client's site. Post the role you are hiring for, and be clear in the posting that the work is performed at a client location.

A firm that does not employ the worker, and instead refers or introduces candidates to another company for a fee, may not hold an employer account regardless of how it describes itself.

3.3 Workforce Partners (Not Platform Account Holders)

KinTrades works with workforce partners — including government agencies, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, training providers, and workforce development programs — through separate written agreements (such as memoranda of understanding, grant awards, contracts, or data-sharing agreements). Workforce partners do not create accounts on the KinTrades platform.

These Terms govern only the relationship between KinTrades and platform account holders (workers and employers). The relationship between KinTrades and any workforce partner is governed by the applicable signed agreement between KinTrades (KinTech, LLC) and that partner; in case of conflict between these Terms and a signed partner agreement, the signed agreement controls. Public-sector partners (government entities and public institutions) are not deemed by these Terms to have waived sovereign immunity, accepted indemnification obligations, or agreed to binding arbitration.

If a workforce partner or its staff creates a platform account, we may remove that account and any content posted through it. This is not a penalty — it is how the two relationships stay separate: platform accounts carry these Terms, and partner relationships carry a signed agreement.

Programs that need to refer participants, track outcomes, or report to a funder use KinComply, our compliance and outcomes product, under a signed agreement — not a platform account. Contact partnerships@kintrades.com to start that conversation.

3.4 Account Termination

You may close your account at any time. We may suspend or terminate your account if you:

• Violate these Terms
• Engage in fraudulent activity
• Falsely attest to being 18 or older (as described in Section 2.1)
• Harass or harm other users
• Post false or misleading information
• Violate applicable laws

Inactive profiles. If you do not sign in for an extended period, we may hide your worker profile from employer search so employers are not reaching out to people who are no longer looking. Your account, profile, and history are kept — signing in restores visibility immediately, and we do not delete anything.

Similarly, a job posting may be closed if the employer has not signed in for an extended period, so workers are not applying to roles nobody is reading. The employer is emailed before this happens and can reopen the posting.

4. User Conduct

4.1 Acceptable Use

You agree to use KinTrades only for lawful purposes. You will NOT:

• Post false, misleading, or deceptive information
• Impersonate another person or entity
• Harass, threaten, or discriminate against others
• Violate anyone's intellectual property rights
• Attempt to hack, disrupt, or damage the platform
• Use automated tools (bots, scrapers) without permission
• Post inappropriate, offensive, or illegal content
• Misuse contact information provided by other users

4.2 Workers

As a worker, you agree to:

• Provide accurate work history and skills information
• Be honest about certifications and licenses you hold
• Respond professionally to employer contact via phone or email
• Provide accurate contact information (phone and email)
• Understand that an employer receives your phone and email only when they take the deliberate step of reaching out to you through the platform — never just from searching for workers or you applying to a job — and only when you have "Show Contact Information" enabled in your Privacy Settings
• Only upload appropriate, work-related photos and videos to your profile
• Provide accurate reference information if you choose to list professional references
• Respond promptly when employers express interest in your profile
• Use your own work, in your own words — photos and videos should show you or work you actually did, and your bio and skills should be your own description, not generated or copied from someone else
• Apply to roles you are genuinely available for and interested in
• Keep your account to yourself — one account per person, and do not let anyone else use or manage it
• Keep your profile current, including your availability and contact information

4.3 Employers

As an employer, you agree to:

• Post legitimate job opportunities only
• Comply with all applicable employment laws and regulations, including federal, state, and local anti-discrimination statutes
• Not discriminate based on protected characteristics (including but not limited to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, pregnancy, or veteran status)
• Consider applicants with a criminal record in accordance with applicable fair-chance and "ban-the-box" laws in the jurisdictions where you hire (including, where applicable, the Virginia Fair Chance Hiring Act, the District of Columbia Fair Criminal Record Screening Amendment Act, the Maryland Criminal Record Screening Practices Act, and similar laws in other states), and apply any record-based consideration only to the extent permitted by law and job-relevant to the position
• Honor second-chance-friendly commitments when posting second-chance-friendly jobs
• Keep candidate information confidential
• Not use the platform for recruiting competitors or non-hiring purposes
• Use worker contact information only for legitimate hiring purposes
• Contact workers professionally via phone, email, or text
• Respect workers' privacy and not share their information without permission
• Not spam or harass workers with excessive contact attempts
• Post only roles you are actively hiring for, at the time you post them
• Post accurate pay, schedule, location, and requirements — and honor what you posted if you make an offer
• Update or close a posting when the role is filled, withdrawn, or no longer available
• Hire for your own business — do not post roles on behalf of another company, and do not use the platform to build a candidate pipeline for anyone else
• Review the applications you receive and record an outcome within 10 business days
• Tell candidates when you are not moving forward, using the decline option, rather than leaving an application unanswered
• Respond to workers who have applied or whom you have contacted
• Use a worker's contact information only for the role you contacted them about
• Not share, sell, resell, or republish worker profiles, contact details, or applications to any third party
• Provide accurate business information, and keep it current
• Cooperate with verification — we may ask for business identifiers (such as an EIN, a state registration, or, for transportation roles, federal operating authority) and may suspend or remove accounts we cannot verify, or that we find misrepresent the business
• One account per business — do not create additional accounts to evade a suspension

Why the response commitment exists. A worker who applies has told you they are available and given you their information. Leaving that unanswered costs them a real opportunity elsewhere. The commitment is a floor, not a target — and it is the one thing we ask of employers in exchange for a hiring marketplace offered at no cost.

4.4 Shareable Profile and Job Links

Workers. Your profile has a shareable link you can send to anyone — an employer you met in person, a program that is helping you, a family member. We encourage you to use it: it is the fastest way to be seen for what you can actually do. Anyone who has the link can view your profile without signing in, so share it the way you would share a resume. Your contact details follow your privacy setting, and you can change that at any time.

Employers. Every job posting has a shareable link. Use it — post it, text it, put it in a flyer. Anyone who opens it lands on that job, and people who do not yet have an account are walked through creating one. It is the most direct way to get your role in front of the right worker.

Links are not secret. Treat a shared link as public, and do not include anything in a profile or posting you would not want a stranger to read.

5. Content and Intellectual Property

5.1 Your Content

You retain ownership of content you post (profiles, photos, videos, work history). By posting content, you grant KinTrades a worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive, sublicensable (to our service providers such as Microsoft Azure solely for hosting and delivery) license, for the purpose of operating, providing, and improving the KinTrades platform, to:

• Display your content on our platform
• Share your profile with employers in accordance with your Privacy Settings — your phone number and email are shared with an employer only when they reach out to you, and only while you have "Show Contact Information" enabled; your references' contact details follow the same rule under "Show Reference Information"
• Store your photos and videos on our secure servers
• Use aggregated, anonymized data for analytics and platform improvements
• Make backups and technical copies for platform operation

Third-party likeness: if any photo, video, or audio you upload includes other identifiable individuals (for example, coworkers, clients, or bystanders visible at a jobsite), you represent that you have obtained their permission — or that they are not identifiable — before sharing that content on KinTrades. You are responsible for respecting the privacy and publicity rights of other people captured in your content.

5.2 Our Content

KinTrades owns all rights to:

• Platform design, features, and functionality
• KinTrades name, logo, and branding
• Documentation, guides, and resources we create

5.3 Content Moderation

We reserve the right to:

• Review, monitor, and remove content
• Remove content that violates these Terms
• Take action against users who post inappropriate content

Uploaded photos and videos may be automatically scanned using Azure AI Content Safety to detect inappropriate content (hate speech, self-harm, sexual content, violence). Content flagged by automated moderation may be blocked or reviewed by our team.

5.4 SMS and Text Messages

By providing your phone number and opting in to SMS notifications during registration, you consent to receiving text messages from KinTrades regarding job opportunities, hiring updates, and required employment documentation.

• Phone number verification codes
• Job match notifications and hiring updates
• Required employment documentation delivery

SMS consent is collected via a separate, unchecked checkbox during registration. Consent to receive SMS is not required to use KinTrades. Messages are only sent in response to user-initiated activity on the platform.

Message frequency: approximately 1–5 messages per month. Standard message and data rates may apply.

You can opt out at any time by replying STOP to any message, toggling off SMS notifications in your profile settings, or contacting us at support@kintrades.com. Reply HELP for assistance.

For full SMS terms, see our SMS Terms & Conditions.

6. Payments and Fees

The KinTrades hiring marketplace is offered at no cost. For workers, that means creating an account, building a profile, uploading photos and videos, being matched, searching and applying for jobs, and being hired. For employers, it means creating an account, posting jobs, searching and viewing worker profiles, receiving and managing applications, contacting workers, and making hires. There is no fee, no subscription, no per-post charge, and no placement or success fee on a hire made through the marketplace.

We do not charge workers anything, for any reason. Nothing in this section creates a cost to a worker.

Separate services. Some organizations need more than a hiring marketplace — for example outcome tracking and reporting for a funder, compliance evidence and audit records, dedicated or managed recruiting for specific roles, or a custom hiring page on their own domain.

These are available to employers and to organizations that are not employers — workforce agencies, training providers, schools, nonprofits, funders, and program operators — including organizations that do not hold, and are not eligible to hold, a platform account under Section 3.2. Holding a platform account is not a prerequisite for them, and not a route to them.

They are separate offerings, provided under their own written agreement, and some carry a fee. They are optional and additive: choosing not to use them takes nothing away from the marketplace described above, and declining them never affects your visibility, your matches, or how your jobs or profile are ranked.

If the marketplace terms in this section ever change, we will give notice in advance and will not apply a charge to anything you did before that notice.

7. Privacy and Data Protection

Your privacy is important to us. Please review our Privacy Policy to understand how we collect, use, and protect your information.

Key privacy commitments:

• We do not sell or share your personal information for advertising purposes
• Your criminal history is private unless you choose to share it
• You can delete your account and data at any time
• We honor the Global Privacy Control (GPC) browser signal — if your browser sends GPC, analytics scripts do not load during your visit

7.1 Automated Decision-Making

KinTrades uses automated tools to help match workers with job opportunities:

• Match Score (0–100): An indicator of how well a worker's profile aligns with a job posting, based on skill fit, suitability, and other signals. Match Scores help employers discover relevant candidates but do not make hiring decisions.
• Reliability Score (0–100): A general readiness indicator visible to employers. Reliability Scores do not consider criminal history or background checks, and do not make hiring decisions.

These scores are informational tools — they do not make hiring decisions, though they may influence the order in which candidates appear in employer search results. All accept, reject, and hiring decisions are made by employers.

7.2 Workforce Partner Outcome Reporting (Employers)

KinTrades is operated by KinTech LLC, which works with workforce partners — training providers, workforce agencies, and similar programs — who refer individuals to KinTech for services, including access to jobs and hiring on the KinTrades platform (see Section 3.3). A referred worker may be new to KinTrades or may already have a KinTrades account — referral status depends on the partner's referral, not on how or when the worker joined KinTrades. When you, as an employer, hire or engage a worker who has been referred by one of these partners, you authorize KinTrades to share the following with that referring partner, solely for the partner's workforce-outcome and compliance reporting:

• Confirmed hire outcomes — that a hire occurred, and the details you provide or confirm, such as the role, employment type, start date, and wage; and
• Related platform activity — your engagement with that referred worker (for example, that you viewed, saved, contacted, or advanced their application).

This authorization is limited to workers referred by a workforce partner, and only to the specific partner that referred them. It does not apply to workers who have not been referred by a workforce partner. Where KinTrades has a signed data-sharing agreement with a partner, that agreement governs how the shared data is handled, retained, and used.

8. Disclaimer of Warranties

KinTrades is provided "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE" without warranties of any kind. We do not guarantee:

• That you will find employment through our platform
• That job postings are accurate or legitimate
• That employers will follow through on job opportunities
• That the platform will be error-free or uninterrupted
• That all users are who they claim to be
• The accuracy of information in worker profiles, photos, or videos

8.1 Worker Disclaimer

KinTrades is a platform that connects workers with employers. We are not:

• An employment agency
• Responsible for hiring decisions
• A guarantor of employment outcomes
• Liable for employer conduct or working conditions
• Responsible for how employers use your contact information

8.2 Employer Disclaimer

KinTrades does not screen, endorse, or guarantee any worker on the platform. We do not verify the accuracy of worker profiles, the validity of certifications or credentials workers list, or the authenticity of photos and videos workers upload. We do not guarantee any worker's performance, attendance, work quality, or fitness for a particular job.

Employers are solely responsible for:

• Verifying candidate qualifications, credentials, and references
• Running any background, drug, or fitness-for-duty checks they require
• Conducting their own due diligence before extending an offer
• Compliance with all applicable employment laws
• Workplace safety and working conditions
• Appropriate and lawful use of worker contact information
• All terms of the employment relationship they form with a hired worker

KinTrades is not a party to any employment relationship between an employer and a worker hired through the platform, and is not responsible for the performance, conduct, or outcomes of any such relationship.

9. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, KINTRADES (KINTECH, LLC) SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR:

• Indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages
• Lost profits, data, or business opportunities
• User errors or misuse of the platform
• Third-party actions (including employers and workers)
• Content posted by users
• Decisions made based on platform information

Our total liability to you for any claims related to KinTrades shall not exceed $100 or the amount you paid us in the past 12 months, whichever is greater.

Exceptions: Nothing in this Section 9 limits or excludes our liability for:

• Fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation
• Gross negligence or willful misconduct
• Death or bodily injury caused by our negligence
• Statutory damages that cannot be limited or waived under applicable law (including, without limitation, statutory damages under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act, the California Consumer Privacy Act, or similar federal or state laws)
• Any other liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law (such as California Civil Code § 1668)

10. Indemnification

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, you agree to indemnify and hold KinTrades (KinTech, LLC) harmless from third-party claims, damages, or reasonable expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from:

• Your use of the platform
• Your violation of these Terms
• Your violation of any laws or regulations
• Content you post on the platform
• Your interactions with other users

This indemnification obligation does not apply to any portion of a claim caused by our own gross negligence, willful misconduct, fraud, or violation of law. We will promptly notify you of any claim for which we seek indemnification, and you will have the right to control the defense and settlement (subject to our approval of any settlement that imposes non-monetary obligations on us, not to be unreasonably withheld).

11. Dispute Resolution

11.1 Informal Resolution

If you have a dispute with KinTrades, please contact us first at support@kintrades.com. We'll work with you to resolve issues informally.

11.2 Arbitration Agreement

If we cannot resolve a dispute informally, and subject to the carve-outs and opt-out below, you and KinTrades agree to resolve all disputes through final, binding, individual arbitration rather than in court.

Rules and administrator: Arbitration will be administered by the American Arbitration Association ("AAA") under its Consumer Arbitration Rules in effect at the time the arbitration is commenced. If AAA is unavailable or declines to administer, the parties will select a substitute neutral arbitration administrator by agreement, or, failing agreement, a court may appoint one.

Location and format: Arbitration will be conducted by videoconference or telephone by default to minimize cost and travel burden on users. Upon a party's written request, the arbitrator may order an in-person hearing at a neutral location within the user's U.S. state of residence.

Fees: KinTech, LLC will pay all AAA filing, administrative, and arbitrator fees in excess of any fee the user would have paid to file the same claim in the small claims court of their state of residence. This provision does not require KinTech to pay fees found by the arbitrator to have been incurred in bad faith.

Carve-outs (claims not subject to arbitration): The following claims may be brought in court at the claimant's option:

• Individual claims within the monetary jurisdiction of small claims court (generally under $10,000)
• Claims to enforce or protect intellectual property rights
• Requests for temporary or preliminary injunctive relief
• Claims alleging sexual assault or sexual harassment, as defined by 9 U.S.C. § 402 (the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021), which the claimant may elect to bring in court at their discretion
• Any claim that, as a matter of applicable federal or state law, cannot be subject to pre-dispute mandatory arbitration

11.3 Class Action Waiver

In any arbitration under Section 11.2, or in any court proceeding permitted under Section 11.2 (including by virtue of the opt-out) or Section 11.5, claims must be brought individually. To the fullest extent permitted by law, you and KinTrades waive the right to participate in a class, collective, representative, consolidated, or private-attorney-general proceeding against the other.

Severability and "blow-up" provision: The arbitrator (or court, if applicable) may not consolidate more than one person's claims or preside over any form of class or representative proceeding. If this class-action waiver is found unenforceable as to a particular claim, then that claim — and only that claim — will be severed from the arbitration agreement and litigated in the courts identified in Section 11.5. The remainder of Section 11.2 (including the individual-arbitration requirement for all other claims) will remain in force.

11.4 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. However, this choice of law does not deprive any user of the protection of non-waivable consumer-protection or privacy laws of their state of residence (for example, the California Consumer Privacy Act, the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act, or similar statutes), which apply to the extent they provide greater rights than Virginia law.

11.5 Forum for Court Proceedings

For any claim that is brought in court rather than arbitration (whether under Section 11.2's carve-outs, through an arbitration opt-out, or because a claim is found non-arbitrable), the parties agree to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in Fairfax County, Virginia, and consent to personal jurisdiction in those courts. This forum-selection clause does not apply to small-claims actions, which may be brought in any court of competent jurisdiction in the user's state of residence.

12. Changes to Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by:

• Posting updated Terms on our platform
• Sending email notification to your registered email
• Displaying a notice on our website

Material changes take effect 30 days after notification. Non-material changes (clarifications, formatting, typo fixes, or updates to third-party service providers that do not expand our rights or reduce yours) may take effect immediately upon posting. Your continued use of KinTrades after changes take effect means you accept the updated Terms.

13. General Provisions

13.1 Entire Agreement

These Terms, along with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and KinTrades.

13.2 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found invalid, the remaining provisions remain in effect.

13.3 No Waiver

Our failure to enforce any provision does not waive our right to enforce it later.

13.4 Assignment

You may not transfer your rights under these Terms. We may assign our rights to any successor or affiliate.

13.5 Force Majeure

We are not liable for delays or failures due to circumstances beyond our reasonable control (natural disasters, war, strikes, etc.).

14. Contact Information

Questions about these Terms? Contact us:

• Email: legal@kintrades.com
• Support: Visit our Support Center
• Mail: KinTech, LLC - KinTrades Legal Team
  9480 Main Street #1340
  Fairfax, VA 22031

15. Acknowledgment

By using KinTrades, you acknowledge that:

• You have read and understood these Terms
• You agree to be bound by these Terms
• You are legally capable of entering into binding contracts
• You will use the platform responsibly and ethically

Thank you for being part of the KinTrades community. Together, we're strengthening the skilled trades workforce and expanding access to meaningful work for everyone ready to build a career in the trades.