Contact:

Ernest Feiteira
212-445-0754
ernest@employ.com


WETHERSFIELD, CT WorkNet, a television series featuring employment and training news that was produced in partnership with the Connecticut Department of Labor has been recognized with a Gold Quality Improvement Award Innovation Prize from the Connecticut Quality Improvement Award Partnership.

Singled out by the Connecticut Quality Improvement Award Partnership, or CQIA, as it is known, was the Agency's recent CT WorkNet television program, an undertaking, which, the organization said, demonstrated "creative ingenuity."

Featuring news about jobs in this state and the local economy, CT WorkNet, a 10-episode series, was shown on Connecticut Public Television. Working with the Labor Department, CPTV co-produced the program with The Employment & Career Channel. CT WorkNet is available online too, click here or go to http://www.employ.com/ctWorkNet/ and click on the Video Library link.

The Quality Improvement Award Innovation Prize Award is given annually to state and local government organizations, manufacturers, service companies, schools, universities, hospitals and not-for-profit groups. Broadly based on the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award for Performance Excellence that emphasizes approach, deployment and results.

Presented by the Connecticut Quality Partnership, Inc., the Quality Improvement Award Innovation Prize Award is awarded in three designations -- gold, silver and platinum.

"It is an honor to be a recipient of a gold Connecticut Quality Improvement Award," said State Labor Commissioner Shaun. B. Cashman. "Our mission at this agency is to serve the people of Connecticut in the best way possible with their employment and training needs. With that fact in mind, we feel the CT WorkNet program offers a new and innovative way to reach out to the people of this state in order to get our message out to a broader audience."

According to Sheila Carmine, founder and executive director of CQIA, this is the Connecticut Department of Labor's fifth Quality Improvement Innovation Prize award. In addition to the 2005 gold designation, the Agency previously earned two earlier gold awards. It has also received a silver designation and a platinum honor from the Partnership.

"The Connecticut Quality Improvement Award emphasizes three principles -- approach, deployment and results, which are translated into CQIA's criteria of opportunity, innovation and numerical results," Carmine said. "By using creative ingenuity, each of the prize winners is focused on helping humanity and improving our lives with novel and superior products and services."

A total of 104 applications were received by CQIA this year and each was judged by 15 Baldridge-trained examiners who ranked and met for consensus before determining the platinum, gold and silver winning levels.

Connecticut Department of Labor employees will be presented with the award during the Partnership's18th annual Conference on Quality and Innovation taking place Oct. 20 at the Water's Edge in Westbrook.



About The Employment & Career Channel
The Employment & Career Channel (TECC) is a multimedia company that creates, aggregates, publishes and distributes employment and career development content in a digital video format for television and the Internet. TECC's video programming is highly relevant, informative, entertaining and timely. It attracts hourly and six figure income professionals, which in turn is attracting a broad base of advertisers.

TECC's companion website (www.employ.com) is as an online portal for employment and career information, a real-time means to deliver customization and personalization of the content, and serve as a platform for related e-commerce. For more information about TECC products and services, visit http://www.employ.com .