FirstHand
For shops · Long Island

Meet your next apprentice before you hire them.

Skip the resumes from people who never show up. Host an open house, meet the ones who do, and keep your crew’s hours in one place.

Claim a founding spot $49/mo, locked for life · First 2 months free
The People page: your apprentices with their approved hours, payroll export and your instructors
The shop inbox on a phone: hours to approve, new RSVPs and logging hours for the crew
The shop inbox on a phone: hours to approve, new RSVPs and logging hours for the crew
How it works
  1. 01

    Post an event

    An open house, a ride-along or a meetup. Pick a date, how many people you can take and what to bring. It takes about two minutes, and FirstHand shows it to apprentices near you.

    The new event form: event type, date, time, spots and what to bring
  2. 02

    See who actually shows up

    People check in by scanning your QR code at the door, so you know who came, not just who said they would. Every apprentice’s show-up rate follows them.

    A check-in QR code for an open house with a live list of who’s here
  3. 03

    Answer in one tap

    After the event: invite back, make an offer, or “not a fit” with a reason. Everyone gets an answer, and the good ones come back.

    A finished open house showing an attendee marked invited back
For the crew you already have

Hours without the paperwork.

  • One invite link. Send it to your apprentices and they join your shop in a tap.
  • They log, you approve. Apprentices log each day from their phone. You approve the whole week at once, or send back a day that’s wrong.
  • Old logbooks come too. Apprentices photograph their paper logbook pages or upload a spreadsheet. They check every day, then you approve the batch.
  • Your crew in one list. Hours logged, when they last logged, and everyone you’ve met at events.
The People page: your apprentices with hours, and people met at events
Why shops use it

Verified badge

Send a photo of your master’s license. Once we check it, your shop shows the verified badge on every event.

Show-up rates up front

Every apprentice carries a record of the events they came to and the hours shops approved, so you can see who shows up.

No agency in the middle

Agencies take 15–30% of a new hire’s first-year pay. Here you meet people directly, for $49 a month.

Founding shops

$49/mo, locked for life.

First 2 months free. Only the first 25 shops on Long Island. Free for apprentices, always.

Claim a founding spot
Questions shops ask
What if nobody shows up?
You see who RSVP’d before the day, so you’re never guessing. When you post, FirstHand counts the apprentices near you who haven’t seen it yet, and you can invite them in one tap.
Who are these people? Do you screen them?
We don’t interview anyone for you. What you get is each apprentice’s record: how often they show up, how many shops invited them back, and hours other shops signed off. Then you meet them in person before deciding anything.
Can they help out on the day?
Keep it a visit: they meet the crew, watch the work and ask questions. Once someone is doing real work, they’re an employee and should be paid. Check with your insurance about visitors on site, as you would for any shop tour.
Do I have to hire anyone?
No. You give everyone who came an answer: invite back, offer, or not a fit. Apprentices see how often a shop answers, so it’s worth doing, but nobody is owed a job.
Can I use FirstHand just for my crew’s hours?
Yes. Invite your apprentices with your link and approve hours from your phone. Post events whenever you’re ready.
What does it cost?
$49 a month for founding shops, with the first 2 months free. Cancel anytime; your price stays locked while your plan is active.
Guides for shop ownersAll guides →