More than 250 apprentices graduated last week from the Associated Builders and Contractors of Iowa apprenticeship program, the trades association said in a news release. ABC of Iowa hosted a graduation ceremony for the association’s 257 apprentices. Students in the program are taught proper safety courses and specific skills in the areas of electrical, plumbing, HVAC, sheet metal, millwright, insulation, laborer and electronic systems. ABC of Iowa finished the year with more than 1,400 apprentices, the most in the organization’s history. Apprenticeships are an important part of Future Ready Iowa, a broad effort to expand the Iowa workforce with a goal of having 70 percent of Iowa workers attain some type of post-high-school education by 2025. ABC of Iowa has training centers in Grimes and Hiawatha, and will be opening a new training center in Davenport this summer. It also operates 19 remote sites throughout the state and recently unveiled a Career Exploration Trailer, which uses virtual reality technology to feature job sites. To read a Business Record Insider story about apprenticeships, click here.