New PATHS to Skills City, USA: Creating New Pathways to Success with a Positive Attitude Towards Higher Success.

New PATHS to Skills City, USA: Creating New Pathways to Success with a Positive Attitude Towards Higher Success

Powered by New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church of Fort Worth.

In the heart of Fort Worth’s historic 76104 zip code, a new story of resilience and renewal is unfolding. It’s called Skills City, USA, and for many families, it’s not just a program—it’s a lifeline, a launchpad, and a movement of faith.

The vision is bold but clear: take people from dependency to dignity, from assistance to advancement, and from struggle to success. Skills City, USA is proving that when you combine workforce innovation, faith, character, and community spirit, transformation isn’t just possible—it’s inevitable.

A Movement, Not Just a Program

What sets Skills City apart is its foundation. Built on the faith-driven leadership of Pastor Kyev Tatum and the mission of New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church, the initiative sees workforce training as more than a job placement service.

“Every individual carries within them a God-given gift,” Pastor Tatum explains. “Our job is to nurture that gift, build character, and help people find both opportunity and purpose.”

Through a groundbreaking collaboration with Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County, Skills City, USA combines two powerful programs—the Choices Program and the Community Work Experience Program (CWEP)—to form the Skills City Workforce Pathways Initiative.

The Power of Combination

The Choices Program helps parents and families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits prepare for and secure meaningful work. The Community Work Experience Program (CWEP) provides structured, hands-on opportunities that build real-world confidence and workplace readiness.

Together, these initiatives form a pipeline that doesn’t just train people—it transforms people. Participants gain education, job training, work experience, and crucial support services like transportation, childcare, and supplies.

But Skills City goes further. Students are not only learners; they are commissioned as Community HELP Connectors—leaders trained to deliver Health, Education, Leadership, and Poverty Alleviation to their neighborhoods.

Building Character & Work Ethic

Skills City emphasizes that skills alone are not enough. That’s why every Community HELP Connector is trained in the Six Pillars of Character—trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship—and grounded in biblical work ethic:

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” – Colossians 3:23–24

This blend of faith, character, and discipline ensures that participants don’t just land a job—they build a life that is sustainable, resilient, and honorable.

The Goals That Drive the Mission

1. Equip parents and families for meaningful employment.

2. Provide real-world work experiences that build confidence and marketable skills.

3. Foster independence through financial literacy and responsibility.

4. Break cycles of poverty while strengthening faith and family.

5. Create long-term pathways into high-demand career fields.

6. Raise up Community HELP Connectors who multiply hope and opportunity across Fort Worth.

The Covenant of a Connector

Each participant signs on to a covenant that declares their commitment:

“I will honor God, uplift my community, and lead with character. I will embody H.E.L.P.—Health, Education, Leadership, and Poverty Alleviation—in all I do.”

This covenant transforms the program into a mission. Participants are not only advancing their own lives—they are sowing seeds of change in their neighborhoods.

A Model for Texas—and Beyond

Skills City, USA is more than a Fort Worth story. It’s a Texas story—one that demonstrates how faith-based leadership and workforce innovation can build a replicable model for other Workforce Solutions communities across the state.

Pastor Tatum believes this is just the beginning:

“If you bring the will, we will build the skills.”

For Black Texans across the state, this model represents something bigger than jobs—it represents justice, dignity, and the promise of a brighter future.