Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Nationally Recognized by BusinessWeek and AARP for Creating a Unique Workplace Environment for New and Mature...( CHICAGO Sept. 25 -- The Blue Cro...),Health

CHICAGO, Sept. 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) was recently recognized, separately, by AARP and BusinessWeek for developing a workplace culture that supports the careers of new employees and encourages the continued development of mature workers.

BusinessWeek magazine named BCBSA as one of the "Best Places to Launch a Career" and AARP recognized BCBSA as a 2007 recipient of the "AARP Best Employers for Workers Over 50" designation.

BusinessWeek "Best Places to Launch a Career"

The second annual edition of BusinessWeek's "Best Places to Launch a Career" list, ranks the country's best entry-level employers in categories including internships, recruiting, pay and benefits, training and future returns. BCBSA was ranked 71st among 95 nationally recognized employers including Deloitte & Touche, Google, UPS and Johnson & Johnson.

Finalists were determined based on data from three surveys. Career- services directors at approximately 100 large public and private colleges, from liberal arts to engineering schools, were asked to identify top employers for entry-level workers from 12 industries.

In addition, more than 37,000 undergraduates in every academic discipline at more than 200 U.S. colleges and universities were asked to rank the top employers they would most like to work for. Finally, employers eligible for the final ranking were asked to submit detailed survey information on recruiting, pay, benefits training and mentoring programs, retention and advancement.

In its sixth year, the BCBSA internship program draws students from top colleges and universities in the Chicago and Washington, D.C., areas. This year, 20 candidates participated in the program and worked on project and team-oriented assignments, were provided training and feedback on their performance, attended "lunch and learn" sessions with management, and performed group presentation progress reports to BCBSA employee
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