Welcome

Dear Reader:

As I write this, the pandemic is approaching its two-year anniversary of arriving in Arkansas. Since March 2020, we have weathered quarantine, social distancing, seen the rise of two variants and the development of three vaccines and associated boosters. We’ve been through a lot and we’re still not done yet.

One area of society that has been hit particularly hard during COVID has been our construction and manufacturing industries. These companies were struggling to attract people into skilled careers even before the pandemic and the situation has only become more serious since. Now, as the economy tries to gain traction and our nation’s infrastructure requires attention, skilled workers are in higher demand than ever.

BLUEPRINT was created to help address this situation, providing relevant, up-to-date and factual information about skilled careers from training options to pay scales to real-life stories of those on the job every day. We’re proud to say we’ve become a respected source of information on lucrative and fulfilling careers from welding and carpentry to electrical work and mechatronics.

Whether you are a high schooler pondering your future, or a displaced or furloughed worker looking for a fresh start, there’s a good chance you’ll find what you’re looking for in a skilled job. And as you build your career, you will earn the satisfaction of knowing you’re also rebuilding America’s strength and might.

Thank you for picking up BLUEPRINT!

Alan Leveritt Publisher Arkansas Times/BLUEPRINT Magazine