The Covington Area Employer Committee received an award from the state during an annual state employer conference in Savannah.

The committee was awarded the Georgia Employer Committee's Rising Star Award for 2012, that's according to a news release from the Georgia Department of Labor sent out on Friday.

State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler presented the CACE with the award on Thursday at an awards luncheon during a week-long annual conference held at the Savannah Marriott Riverfront hotel in Savannah.

The release said the committee won the award for its work on providing changes within the labor department, conducting workshops for employers and job seekers to help prepare them for the job market and their continued partnerships with the Covington-Newton County Chamber of Commerce, Georgia Piedmont technical College and the GDOL Career center.

Shannon Davis with the Newton County office of Economic Development said the committee has put in a lot of effort and hard work.

"It was an honor to receive this award for the Covington area employer committee this year. The rising star award is not one that's given out every year and we all feel fortunate to have been selected for the award this year," Davis said.

Employer committees are committees around the state that consist of groups of business representatives who have a working relationship between employers and the GDOL.

According to the GDOL, the committees provide input and guidance to the commissioner and department in the development of policy and legislation, as it impacts employers and employees. The employer committees throughout the state also work closely with their local GDOL career centers to promote the department's services among employers and to identify and recommend ways to meet local and state employment-related needs.

In the release, Butler said the partnership the CACE have with GDOL is important because tit helps build and maintain the economy and job market in the Covington area.

Davis said she believed the CAEC was chosen as the recipient of the Rising Star Award because of its efforts to successfully work with the GDOL.

"The committee worked hard to make connections within community organizations and like minded committees. Making those connections was critical to our success in building strong foundational relationships between the department of labor, private sector business and education, helping to create a successful environment for businesses in the area and the department of labor," Davis said.

According to a document from Davis which included an overview of CACE's, the committee has struggled with attendance and membership, but at the beginning of the year, the committee met to discuss what they needed to do in order to be a successful.