SCRANTON, Pa., Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ — Penn Foster has been named one of the Best Places to Work in PA for 2009. The awards program, created in 2000, is one of the first statewide programs of its kind in the country. The program is a public/private partnership between Team Pennsylvania Foundation, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, and the Central Penn Business Journal.

This survey and awards program was designed to identify, recognize, and honor the best places to be employed in Pennsylvania, benefiting the state’s economy, its workforce, and businesses. The Best Places to Work in PA list is made up of 100 companies divided into two groups: 50 medium-sized companies with 25-250 employees and 50 large-sized companies with 251 or more employees. Penn Foster has been named one of the Best Places to Work in PA in the large category.

To be considered for participation, companies had to fulfill the following eligibility requirements:

• Have at least 25 employees in Pennsylvania

• Be a for-profit or not-for-profit business

• Be a publicly or privately held business

• Have a facility in Pennsylvania and

• Be in good standing with Commonwealth agencies under the Governor’s jurisdiction

Companies from across the state entered the two-part process to determine the 100 Best Places to Work in PA. The first part consisted of evaluating each nominated company’s workplace policies, practices, philosophies, systems, and demographics. This part of the process was worth approximately 25% of the total evaluation. The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience. This part of the process was worth approximately 75% of the total evaluation. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final ranking. Best Companies Group managed the overall registration and survey process.

Penn Foster will be recognized at the Best Places to Work in PA evening awards ceremony on Tuesday, December 1, 2009, at the Hershey Lodge & Convention Center in Hershey, PA. Rankings will be revealed at the ceremony. Tickets may be purchased online at www.centralpennbusiness.com/events.

In addition to the public/private partnership, the program is supported by the following organizations: Lead Sponsor — Team Pennsylvania Foundation; Presenting Sponsor — Sovereign Bank; Major Sponsors — Drug Free Pennsylvania and E.K. McConkey & Co., Inc.; and Supporting Sponsors — Capital BlueCross and Arcus.

For more information on Best Places to Work in PA, visit www.bestplacestoworkinpa.com or contact Heather Long at the Central Penn Business Journal at 717-236-4300 or HeatherL@journalpub.com.

About Penn Foster

Penn Foster College, Penn Foster Career School, and Penn Foster High School are part of Penn Foster, Inc., a global leader in distance education.  For more than 118 years, Penn Foster has been providing career-focused training programs in the fields of health care, business, technology, automotive technology, and select trades. Nationally and regionally accredited Penn Foster High School serves more than 40,000 online students seeking individual courses or a complete diploma program. Penn Foster Career School (www.PennFoster.edu) and Penn Foster High School (www.PennFosterHighSchool.com) are headquartered in Scranton, PA, with regional offices in Montreal, Canada.

CONTACT: Michelle Dempsey of Penn Foster, Inc., +1-570-961-4641, Michelle.Dempsey@pennfoster.edu