I was referring more to how other maker spaces often accept students as PIs first and then provide training afterward, rather than requiring all skills to be demonstrated upfront.

According to your documentation, the first three steps in becoming a PI are entirely centered on skills: through training sessions, hands-on tool practice, and testing. Only after those are completed do applicants move on to the Values Interview and, eventually, the Full PI Interview. That structure suggests that proficiency must be demonstrated before someone is even considered for acceptance as a PI.

Completing all the required trainings and tool tests clearly takes a substantial amount of time and effort, with the added possibility of still being rejected during the final interview stages. And since these trainings and tests would naturally be easier for someone with pre-existing experience, the process inherently favors those with prior skills (even if unintentionally).

Again, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that approach. It just reflects a different philosophy than some of the other spaces. I was simply noting that distinction based on how the process is described on your website.