Kentucky Teleworks and the Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, Inc. (EKCEP) were recognized Nov. 13 among Kentucky’s top leaders in innovative use of broadband by ConnectKentucky at the organization’s sixth-annual Tech Day, held at The George and Ellen Rieveschl Digitorium in Griffin Hall at Northern Kentucky University. Accepting the award was Joshua Ball, far right, Kentucky Teleworks manager.

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FRANKFORT— People across Eastern Kentucky and beyond are discovering daily they can find and secure legitimate, well-paid, work-from-home job opportunities thanks to the Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program’s (EKCEP) innovative Kentucky Teleworks initiative.

The success of those efforts has now earned the initiative statewide recognition among top businesses, students, educational institutions, and government agencies that are making a difference in advancing broadband technologies in Kentucky.

ConnectKentucky, an independent technology-based economic development organization, awarded Kentucky Teleworks and EKCEP its “Small Business Technology Award” at its sixth-annual Tech Day event, held Nov. 13 at the The George and Ellen Rieveschl Digitorium in Griffin Hall at Northern Kentucky University.

Tech Day serves as an opportunity to better understand and promote the benefits of broadband technology in Kentucky government, schools, businesses, communities, and homes, and to hear from experts on the latest technology trends.

“We’re honored and humbled that an organization such as ConnectKentucky would present Kentucky Teleworks a statewide award,” said Joshua Ball, Kentucky Teleworks manager.

“This confirms that telework is no longer just an idea, but that it now has a seat at the table with some of our top methods of job creation in Eastern Kentucky,” Ball said.

“We’re hearing from companies all over the country just how pleased they are with the workers they’re getting through Kentucky Teleworks, and they’re also telling us how appreciative these workers are of their telework jobs,” said EKCEP Executive Director Jeff Whitehead. “The high profile of this award will help us continue to match good workers from Eastern Kentucky with these employers as we keep moving forward.”

Kentucky Teleworks works with call center and customer service vendors for national companies like DIRECTV, Amazon.com, T-Mobile, Cincinnati Bell, JPMorgan Chase, and many more to screen and provide them with potential employees for work-from-home jobs in customer service, IT support, sales, data entry, and other areas.

These jobs typically offer full benefits, starting wages around $9 per hour or more, and sometimes commission and bonuses.

In presenting the award, ConnectKentucky recognized that Kentucky Teleworks has leveraged the use of broadband to create hundreds of jobs this year, allowing Kentuckians across the state to work from a home-based office. This has led to partnerships with telework-friendly companies seeking to invest in human capital instead of fiscal infrastructure, thus positioning Kentucky—especially rural parts of the state—to be on a level playing field for jobs.

Additional 2012 Tech Day award winners and their categories included:

• New and Emerging Business Technology Award: Gamigen, Newport

• Postsecondary Student Technology Award: Trevor Schmitz, Northern Kentucky University

• School District Technology Award: Marion County Public Schools

• Postsecondary Institution Technology Award: Department of Chemistry, Eastern Kentucky University

• Government Leadership in Technology Award: Kentucky Educational Television

“The innovative ways these award winners are using broadband is helping Kentucky stay at the leading edge of the digital age, and improving the commonwealth’s economy and quality of life in myriad ways,” said ConnectKentucky Executive Director Rene True.

Among those attending and speaking at the event were Brian Mefford, Chairman of the Board, Connected Nation; David Couch, Associate Commissioner of Knowledge, Information & Data Services, Kentucky Department of Education; Al Lind, Vice President for Technology and eLearning, Council on Postsecondary Education; Nancy Carpenter, Sr. Director of Education, Kentucky Educational Television; Brian Kiser, Executive Director, Commonwealth Office of Broadband Outreach & Development; Dr. Julia Roberts, Director for Center for Gifted Studies, Western Kentucky University; Hunter Bates, President & General Counsel, Bates Capitol Group; Phillip Brown, Director of Government Affairs and Advocacy, Connected Nation; Dean Kevin Kirby, College of Informatics, Northern Kentucky University.

For more information about Kentucky Teleworks, visit www.kentuckyteleworks.com, call Joshua Ball at (606) 435-8498, or email jball@kyteleworks.com. Find Kentucky Teleworks on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kentuckyteleworks and EKCEP at www.facebook.com/ekcep.