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International Correspondence Schools

Founded to help working adults learn practical skills from home, this pioneering distance-education school grew into one of the best-known correspondence institutions in the United States. Its story reflects a big shift in how career training became accessible to people far from traditional classrooms.

1 Audiobook

Hoisting Appliances

Hoisting Appliances

by International Correspondence Schools

About the author

International Correspondence Schools, usually known as ICS, began in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in 1890. It was founded by Thomas J. Foster, a newspaper editor who wanted to give coal miners and other workers a way to build skills, improve safety, and move ahead through home-study courses.

By the early 20th century, ICS had become a major force in distance education. Its lessons reached students across the United States and abroad, and the school became closely associated with practical, job-focused training in subjects tied to industry, trades, and office work.

Over time, the institution changed ownership and branding, and it was eventually renamed Penn Foster in 2005. Even so, the ICS name remains an important part of the history of correspondence learning in America.