thegroupTheory × KinTrades
Cumberland County · Pilot Cohort No. 1
The Skillset Project · Issue No. 1

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. 1
Solution·Humanity·Unity
Pilot Cohort No. 1 · Delivered June 27, 2026

What we proved.

100%
of participants reported increased confidence about their future career options
4.8 / 5
event quality rating
60%
"very interested" in learning more about the skilled trades

Top trade interest areas: CDL / Commercial Driving (36%) and Locksmithing (27%). Cohort feedback themes: accessible entry into the trades · demand for CDL career information · explicit ask for hands-on workshops and paid internships.

The first panel — three Cumberland County owners
  • A-N-B Logistics LLC logo
    Paul "June" Howard
    A-N-B Logistics LLC
    CDL / Commercial Driving
  • ACMan Cooling & Heating logo
    Michael James Johnson
    ACMan Cooling & Heating
    HVAC
  • Woodway Management & Co logo
    Shuttle Buddy logo
    Tauheed Wood brand logo
    Tauheed Wood
    Woodway Management & Co · Shuttle Buddy + others
    Multi-brand Fayetteville entrepreneur
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.

The Skillset Project is a phased program — career exploration first, mentorship in the trades, on-the-job training as future cohorts open the lane, and a workforce pathway through KinTrades when participants are ready. thegroupTheory anchors it locally. KinTrades powers the platform. 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 Students
Local students choosing the trades as a first career. A real look at the work before they commit — mentor voices, hands-on exploration, and a path that opens up as the program grows.

Pilot Cohort No. 1 was delivered on June 27, 2026 with Cumberland County young adults ages 15–25 — recent graduates, students from a range of educational pathways (public school and alternative education settings alike), and participants currently navigating justice-system reentry pathways. Transitioning Veterans remain on the program roadmap for upcoming cohorts. 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, and a path that opens up as future cohorts grow.

UnderstandingA clear picture of the skilled trades — 51 roles across 12 trade families.
Mentor VoicesWorking tradespeople sharing how they got in, what the day looks like, what success demands — not lectures, real experience.
Career Exploration ToolsKinTrades.com/students and /trades — federal wage data, day-in-the-life, pathways into every trade. Open any time. No sign-up required.
A Path ForwardThe Skillset Project stays with participants — OJT placements and workforce matching open up as the program grows. 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 a cohort kickoff — panel, day-in-the-life, mixer. The Cohort No. 1 panel proved this works: a 70-minute employer commitment that moved every participant's confidence about their future.
Plan for OJT (building now)Help shape the on-the-job training lane — what an OJT placement could look like on your worksite, duration, mentor capacity. All three Cohort No. 1 panelists volunteered to help design this lane in real time.
Show the Path to OwnershipAll three Cohort No. 1 panelists were owner-operators of their own businesses. The trades-to-entrepreneurship arc is now a permanent part of how we tell the story — partners who embody it are uniquely valuable.
Open the Door LaterStay in the picture as cohort members graduate, train, and become workforce candidates. Be the employer they already know.
04 · The Program

Four phases.
Discovery to match, in one cohort.

01Career Exploration (delivered)

Meet the trades up close.

Career Exploration event with local working tradespeople — panel discussion, day-in-the-life conversations, and an introduction to the field. Participants research trades on KinTrades.com/students and KinTrades.com/trades — federal wage data, pathways in, and what each trade really involves. This lane is also a strong drop-in fit for schools, CTE programs, alternative education programs, and youth-serving nonprofits — turn-key career exploration content with no platform onboarding required.

02Mentor Voices

Hear from working tradespeople.

Owners, lead technicians, and experienced tradespeople from across Cumberland County — people doing the work. The first real look at the trade, told by the people who built their careers in it.

03On-the-Job Training (future state)

Hands-on training — the lane we are building.

OJT placements with hosting employers — real conditions, real tools, real coworkers — open up as future cohorts grow and partner employers help shape the lane. Long enough to feel the days, learn the tools, and decide if it's the right fit.

04Workforce Pathway

From exploration to the workforce.

When participants are ready for the workforce, KinTrades is the door — regional employers and the wider Cumberland County jobs pipeline. The platform turns career exploration into the next step of a real career.

05 · Career Exploration Event

Where the cohort begins.

June 27
2026
Cumberland County
North Carolina

Delivered. A single combined event — employers, working tradespeople, and participants in one room. A panel on the trades, day-in-the-life conversations, and a guided walkthrough of KinTrades.com/trades for the cohort.

Three Cumberland County owner-operators panelized: Paul "June" Howard of A-N-B Logistics (CDL), Michael James Johnson of ACMan Cooling & Heating (HVAC), and Tauheed Wood of Woodway Management & Co + Shuttle Buddy (multi-brand entrepreneur). The cohort walked out with measurably more confidence than they walked in with (see results section above).

1201 Murchison Road, Suite A, Fayetteville, NC · 12:00 – 2:00 PM

06 · The Technology

Powered by KinTrades.

Career exploration, federal-data wages, day-in-the-life trade pages, and an active job board run on the KinTrades platform — across Virginia, DC, Maryland, and North Carolina. Built by Cumberland County natives — and active employers of trades workers — for the place that built them.

Tier 1 · Career Exploration

For anyone — students, workers, employers, community. KinTrades.com/students + /trades. No sign-up required.

Tier 2 · Student Internship Matching

For under-18 students seeking trade internships. Dedicated student tenant with age-appropriate guardrails — parental consent, school-coordinated scheduling.

Tier 3 · Workforce Matching

For 18+ workforce-ready candidates. Standard KinTrades job matching with hiring incentives built in — Federal Bonding, WIOA OJT, NCEdge.

Explore the trades on KinTrades →
07 · Get Involved

Want to support the Skillset Project?

Cohort No. 1 proved the model. Fall 2026 expansion target: DMV (DC · Maryland · Northern Virginia) + Cumberland County, NC.

Three audiences we're actively building with:

  • Skilled-trade employers — start with a panel commitment (~70 min), shape the On-the-Job Training lane as we build it, and consider posting current openings on KinTrades so we can match cohort members now.
  • Schools, CTE programs, alternative education programs, and youth-serving nonprofits — adopt KinTrades' free career-exploration tools into your programs as a turn-key first step. We'll build you a co-branded landing page (your colors, your counseling team, your region's data) modeled on our Commonwealth Preparatory page. No platform onboarding, no fee.
  • Community supporters and workforce-development allies — support thegroupTheory's local anchor work and the cohort-to-employer pipeline it makes possible.
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 →

"Skillset Project" is the working name for the Cumberland County pilot built with thegroupTheory. The underlying method — three-tier platform engagement, cohort career exploration, and the school/nonprofit adoption ladder — extends to community partnerships in other regions, where future cohorts may operate under different program names.