thegroupTheory × KinTrades
Cumberland County · Pilot Cohort No. 01
The Skillset Project · Issue No. 01

The Skillset
Project.

thegroupTheory × KinTrades Presents

A skilled-trades career pathway, hand-selected, locally anchored — built in Cumberland County for the people who keep the place running.

Fort Liberty
Region
2026Pilot Cohort No. 01
Solution·Humanity·Unity
01 · The Premise

The skilled trades hire on what a person can do. Electricians, carpenters, CDL drivers, and the workers who build, power, and move Cumberland County hold some of the most stable, well-paid careers in the region. And too many people who could thrive in those careers don't have the door open to them.

The work is here. The talent is here. The Skillset Project is the door.

One cohort, four phases: introduction to the trades, mentorship in the field, 30 days of on-the-job training, and a KinTrades profile matched to regional employers. thegroupTheory anchors it locally. KinTrades powers the matching. One program. One purpose: real careers for the people who need them.

02 · The Cohort

One cohort.
Three communities. Hand-selected.

01.
Transitioning Veterans
Service members rotating off Fort Liberty into civilian work. The discipline and field experience are already there — the Skillset Project opens the door to the trades.
02.
Justice-Impacted Adults
Cumberland County residents coming home and rebuilding. Stable, well-paid trade careers are one of the most reliable paths forward — and the trades hire on what a person can do.
03.
High School Seniors
Local students choosing the trades as a first career. A real look at the work before they commit — mentorship, hands-on days, and a profile that travels with them.

Pilot Cohort No. 01 is hand-selected from three communities, starting with the trades most active in the region — including construction, electrical, and transportation. We learn what works for one group before we scale.

03 · Inside the Project

Two sides of the same work.

What Participants Gain

A real way in — exploration, mentorship, hands-on work, and the platform that turns the program into the next step.

UnderstandingA clear picture of the skilled trades — 52 roles across 12 trade families.
A MentorA working tradesperson paired with each participant — someone doing the work, not teaching from slides.
Hands-On Experience30 days of on-the-job training — real conditions, real tools, real coworkers.
A Profile That MovesPhoto and video work samples on KinTrades — matched to regional employers ready to hire. No tuition. No fees.

What Partner Employers Contribute

Local employers giving local talent a real shot — and shaping the trades pipeline they'll hire from.

VoiceShare what your trade looks like at the June 27 kickoff — panel, day-in-the-life, mixer. Exposure is the first part of the pipeline.
Host + MentorBring a participant on-site for 30 days, with a working tradesperson from your team as their mentor.
ConsiderationReview matched participants for ongoing roles. Many of the best hires come from people you've already worked with.
AnchorHelp build a Cumberland-grown trades pipeline for Cumberland employers — shape what future cohorts train for.
04 · The Program

Four phases.
Discovery to match, in one cohort.

01Sign Up & Start a Profile

Register on KinTrades and start a profile.

Basic info, interests, trades they're curious about. The profile grows through the pilot — mentor notes, photos and video samples from the 30 days, demonstrated skills — until it tells the full story of their experience.

02Mentor

Paired with a mentor in the trades.

A working tradesperson — not a textbook, not a Zoom session — someone doing the work. The mentor is the human anchor of the program and the participant's first real look at the trade.

0330 Days on the Job

Hands-on training — real work, real conditions.

Thirty days in the field alongside the mentor. Not a classroom — the actual work. Long enough to feel the days, learn the tools, and decide if it's the right fit.

04Match & Continue

Get matched. Continue the path.

Participants who want to continue get matched to regional employers and the wider Cumberland County jobs pipeline on KinTrades. The platform turns the program into the next step of a real career.

05 · The Kickoff

Where the cohort begins.

June 27
2026
Cumberland County
North Carolina

A single combined event — employers, working tradespeople, and participants in one room. A panel on the trades, day-in-the-life conversations, and the start of every participant's KinTrades profile.

For employers: about two hours, no hiring commitment — just share what your trade actually looks like. For participants: the doorway to the program.

Date confirmed · RSVP details to follow

06 · The Technology

Powered by KinTrades.

Every worker profile, every match, every employer connection runs on the KinTrades platform — federal-data wages, training programs, apprenticeships, and an active job board across Virginia, DC, Maryland, and North Carolina.

Built by Cumberland County natives — and active employers of trades workers — for the place that built them.

Explore the trades on KinTrades →
07 · Get Involved

Want to support the Skillset Project?

Pilot Cohort No. 01 is hand-selected. The next cohort grows from what we build together.

We're looking for skilled-trade businesses ready to engage — from sharing your trade at our June 27 kickoff, to hosting a participant with a mentor from your team for 30 days of on-the-job training. We're also looking for community supporters and workforce-development allies who want to support thegroupTheory's local anchor work.

Get in touch →

Partner inquiries: partners@kintrades.com
thegroupTheory: thegrouptheoryinc@gmail.com · 910-229-3013

Two organizations.
One project.

The Skillset Project is co-owned, co-designed, and co-delivered.

The Community Partner

A Cumberland County–based community organization with a mission to build solutions, empower humanity, and bridge generations. thegroupTheory anchors the Skillset Project locally — outreach, support, mentorship, and the trusted relationships that make participation possible.

thegrouptheory.com →
The Technology Partner

Co-founded by Cumberland County natives who are themselves active employers of skilled trades workers, KinTrades is a career platform serving Virginia, DC, Maryland, and North Carolina — worker profiles, automated employer matching, federal-data career pages, and a live job board. The technology infrastructure that lets the Skillset Project run, match, and scale.

kintrades.com →