Catch up TV

Series 1: 3. Smooth Operators

Stacey Dooley takes five 16-18 year olds into different industries crying out for young workers, for the ultimate work experience.\n\nIn this episode, she takes them to Sunderland to experience life at one of the country’s biggest contact centres. Elliot, Mersadi, Skye, Abbey and Hakeem join the 650 customer experience representatives taking calls on car, home and life insurance. Their first day is spent with some of the company’s specialist trainers, who can quickly assess the five’s ability to speak to complete strangers. At night, the team are asked to go even further out of their comfort zone when they are invited to attend and take part in the company’s annual lip sync battle. \n \nThe contact centre industry is one of the fastest growing in the UK, providing thousands of opportunities for young apprenticeships, and with 60,000 calls being made each week it’s a job that requires good communication skills. During their first day, boss Mark sets them various exercises which will show him who is naturally confident on the phone and which of the teens can bring their personality to the job while keeping it professional. If they do well, Stacey will reward them at the end of the day in cash, with the national apprenticeship rate of £3.70 per hour. They really need the money as they are all still living together, and if one person doesn’t get paid, then the others have to chip in to pay for their food.

Source: CBBC