After six months of construction, Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of Iowa opened a new expansion of the Grimes apprenticeship training center this week, doubling square footage from 8,000 to 16,000 in the facility. First constructed in 2013, the facility now holds six additional classrooms, an eight-station welding lab and a sheet metal lab with a plasma cutting table. “The construction industry is facing a worker shortage across the country and here in our state. Iowans who receive the necessary training and skills are also receiving an opportunity for a well-paying career, not just a job,” said Ginny Shindelar, ABC’s vice president of education and training services. “ABC apprentices enter the workforce right away, get paid to learn career skills on the job and even work toward owning a business.”