Since grade school, Lorraine Llauger has had her heart set on earning a college degree. But until recently it looked like she’d never achieve her dream.
Llauger, of Kissimmee, Florida, is a journeyman electrician and a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 606 in Orlando. She is also a single mom raising two children on her own.
“I never thought I’d be going to college. I thought, where am I going to find the time? I can’t go off to a campus,” she reflects.
One day, her coworker mentioned the Union Plus Free College Program. Within weeks, Llauger was registered and taking classes online.
The Union Plus Free College Program partners with AFSCME and Eastern Gateway Community College to offer online courses and degree programs with no out of pocket cost to active or retired union members and their eligible family members, including spouses and children.
Llauger is now working towards an associate degree in Business Management, at her own convenience.
“My favorite thing is that I can be anywhere where there is internet,” Llauger enthuses. “For Union Plus to provide an online course, free, that’s amazing.”
Of her future plans, Llauger says, “More doors will open. I’m a single parent, so it’s even more exciting that I can advance myself with this program.”
Llauger has a message for other union members: “I definitely recommend the Union Plus Free College program. A lot of people entering the trades never thought they could make it to college. Getting this opportunity makes everything so much simpler.”
Visit www.unionplusfreecollege.org or call 888-590-9009.
Lorraine Llauger is a journeyman electrician and a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) in Orlando, Florida. Llauger hoped to earn a college degree, but did not know how she'd be able to fit college in with her busy life as an electrician and a mother. A coworker mentioned the Union Plus Free College Program, and within weeks, Llauger was registered and taking classes online.