Clothing and Skateboard Factory Show Me What You're Made Of

Today we're in South Africa,

the southernmost tip of this colossal continent.

Now, this might look like a beautiful holiday destination,

but many people here live in very poor conditions.

It's a country of big contrasts, as our five are about to discover.

-Emily...

-Urgh!

-..Rob, Ed...

-I'm off.

-..Kathryn and Jasmine

have all travelled over 3,000 miles from Ghana

to start the next leg

of their epic African journey.

Where is my tool?

How does Rob cope with his most difficult challenge yet?

I kind of feel that now I've hit a wall or something,

that I won't be able to carry on.

Will the tough factory targets push them too far?

-You're hurting my brain.

-Come here, don't be silly.

And what happens when it all falls apart?

-Which pile?

-Did you put it back into the pile?

Today, it's a complete change for our five, as we hit the beach

in South Africa's surfing capital, Jeffreys Bay.

But these guys can kiss goodbye to riding any waves,

because we're heading straight to our first factory.

Today, we'll be working at Billabong,

-the famous adventure sports brand.

-Oh, cool!

-Yeah!

Have you got what it takes to work in a Billabong factory?

As long as I don't have to surf or skateboard, I think I'll be fine.

This global brand which manufactures

surfing and skateboarding equipment and clothing

is famous for its laid-back vibe.

But behind closed doors, it's anything but.

The production lines are driven by tough targets and tight deadlines.

It's demanding work, as everything is done by hand,

and for the next two days, our kids will have to work just as hard.

But first, they must meet their boss.

Jacques, how do you do? I'm Stacey.

-Hi, Stacey.

-Very, very nice to meet you.

-Welcome, welcome.

I've brought you five new workers.

We need them! LAUGHTER

I'm glad to say they're very happy to be here.

I say we live in an awesome place here, in Jeffreys Bay.

But when it's time to work, we work. Time to play, we can play hard,

but work time, we work hard.

So, I'm going to expect you guys to do the same on your side

and get the work done.

-Robbie. Robbie skateboards at home and he surfs, don't you?

-Good.

-Yeah.

-You surf once a year, so this is right up your alley.

Yeah. I am really excited and I feel I'm going to do well.

Today's job could be Rob's idea of heaven,

as he and the others will be building skateboards.

What do we reckon?

-That is sick!

-Pretty cool, no?

-Sick.

But little do they know, this could be their most difficult task yet.

-I want to introduce you to Aubrey. I'm Stacey.

-Yes, good to meet you.

-Very, very nice to meet you.

-I'm Jaz.

With over 30 parts making up every skateboard,

they're not easy to put together,

so listening to supervisor Aubrey's every word is crucial.

This is called a deck, the trucks and the wheels

and then the bearings inside the wheels.

And then you've got your trucks, bolt and nuts

to put the whole thing together.

'All of those parts must be put together in a specific order,

'and if just one of them is left out, the whole thing could fall apart.'

Then you've got your complete skateboard.

'It's a lot to take in.'

This is definitely the fiddliest task we've had up to this point.

There are so many components.

Remember, each of these components are worth money.

'It might be a complex job,

'but skater boy Rob thinks he's got this one in the bag.'

I think I am pretty confident cos I've done this sort of stuff before.

I've taken apart my skateboard and all that.

-So you might have a bit of an advantage?

-Yeah, maybe.

-Rob's so going to win this.

-Is this the one we're doing?

OK, guys - three, two, one, start.

-Sorry!

-Simmer down.

-Careful.

There's no time for mucking about.

They've only got an hour to build four skateboards.

-Just to help do it a little bit faster.

-Mmm-hmm.

Put that on there. Use this one

-and you can push it on.

-Oh!

-There.

-OK.

I'm doing well. No, I've done it, look.

Keep going, keep going. Good, good, good.

I'm good at this!

Everyone's off to a decent start, but flying out front is Rob.

Righty tight and lefty loosey - remember that.

And it's this confident approach that's got him promoted

in every factory so far.

I would want to hire Robert.

-Robert.

-Robert.

Rob, another wage - is this getting boring?

Rob, how are you getting on?

-Um, I'm doing all right, I think.

-Are you first?

I'm not sure. I think, maybe, yeah.

I wasn't really expecting any less of Rob really.

Whilst Rob sets the pace for the group, not everyone is keeping up.

At first, I was, like, using that one instead of this one,

so hopefully now that I know the right way, I'll be able to catch up.

But with golden boy Rob in the lead,

that might be easier said than done.

I think everyone would like to beat Rob,

but I don't think that's going to happen.

13-year-old Ed from Shropshire

has always taken a laid-back approach to life.

I think I'm quite lazy.

I spend most of my time inside and playing video games.

The amount of time Edward spends

on his iPod and his Xbox

drives me absolutely up the wall.

When I do go outside, it's because my dad dragged me outside. Mmm.

Ed's dad hopes Africa will be a wake-up call for his son.

I think Edward is a bit work-shy.

But I want him to see how hard some people really have to work

in order to make ends meet.

-Ed.

-Yeah.

-How are you finding this task?

It's just been one really big kerfuffle, really.

This is what usually happens when I'm building stuff.

But once I get the hang of it...

Everyone else might have raced ahead of Ed,

but in their haste, they're starting to slip up.

I put the wrong one on!

Why the bottom lip?

Cos I got the wrong one on and this is irritating.

And even Rob is coming unstuck,

losing track of those tiny but all-important parts.

Four... One, two, three, four.

I'm missing two washers and a bolt.

That doesn't make sense and now it's annoyed me.

You guys just have to check and be careful.

If you lose, it's a loss of product.

And these mistakes haven't escaped the boss's attention.

How do our workers compare to your regular workers?

Obviously, at this stage, I would say half the rate,

so I'd think only half is going to get done.

-So, they're half as good as your normal workers.

-Half as good, yeah.

-Ouch! They need to pull their socks up.

-They need pull it up!

Like I say, we're going to lose at the end of the day,

so they have to pick it up a bit.

Keeping up with the boss's high expectations

means tempers are starting to fray.

Don't fit.

-What's wrong? Talk to me.

-Don't fit.

Don't get... Are you getting upset? Don't get upset.

-It's frustrating.

-You're frustrated but you mustn't get upset.

What is it that you're struggling with?

Oh, come here, give me a cuddle. Come here. Don't be silly.

-I'm a bit smelly, sorry.

-JAZ SOBS

What are you crying for?

-Silly-billy.

-Can I join in?

What's wrong, Jaz? Talk to me.

I don't know. It's just not fitting. It's frustrating.

It's just not fitting? What's not fitting? Tell me.

So, that's meant to go on there, is it?

Perhaps that's not the right one.

Come on then, hun. Look, put this down.

I get frustrated sometimes.

I get... If I can't do work properly,

I get myself into a bit of tizz.

'Whilst I attempt to get Jaz back on track,

'things are going from bad to worse for squeaky-clean Rob.'

I want to win this loads, but I can't find any tool,

any stuff that I need, and I don't even know why.

Where is my tool?

For the first time ever,

it looks like Rob has lost his cool completely...

Righty tight and lefty loose. I AM doing it right.

Do you know what? I'm actually really upset now.

..while Ed is slowly trying for perfection.

The only problem I could find with these is that...

this board...

Um, this wheel comes up a bit, so it does that.

That's the only problem I could really find with my boards.

But will Ed's attention to detail cost him in the end?

I guess I am taking my time quite a bit because, um...I'm last.

Hopefully I paid more attention,

and slow and steady wins the race, kind of thing.

Only time will tell if anyone has performed well enough

to impress the boss and earn themselves a promotion.

I'm done.

'It's judgment time for them all.'

OK, so here we are. How did Jasmine do?

I think Jasmine just gave up too quick.

Er...I reckon she's got a lot of potential. Just never give up.

How's Robbie done?

He started off good, just maybe too fast.

Take a little bit more time in what you're doing.

Slipping up on a screw here and there

and a washer missing here and there and things like that.

But the pace was good but the product was incomplete at the end.

Do you agree with what your bosses are saying?

Yeah, definitely. I do feel that I could have done better.

'With both Emily and Kathryn also presenting incomplete work,

'has Ed's careful strategy paid off?'

He had a consistent pace on him.

He was quite particular in his work and focused all the way through.

Can't fault his work there, except for the pace.

I think he's right. I did do it very slow,

and, um...hopefully, if I do this again, I'll work on that.

So one of our lads is a tad too slow and one of them is a tad too fast.

Yeah, too fast.

'But have either of the boys done enough to earn a promotion today?'

I'm going to promote you

and demote all the other four.

-What?

-Wow!

-THEY LAUGH

He was the slowest,

-but he was the one with the perfect job in the end.

-Yeah!

Look at that!

-Ah.

-Look at him - he's on cloud nine. One happy chap.

He deserves to be.

I just got promoted...without Rob

for the first time...ever.

Yeah, I'm definitely gutted about being demoted.

It kind of feels like I've just dropped everything I've been doing

for the last three, like, four factories.

And it's kind of felt like...that now I've hit a wall or something,

that I won't be able to do this again.

It just feels a bit disappointing

cos I thought I did enough.

I thought I did more than enough. But obviously not.

Rob's not the only one that's had a terrible day.

'I've got a feeling there was more to Jaz's tears

'than just skateboards.'

-I've missed my sister so much.

-Yeah.

And, like, the girls are off in their own world

and I'm just thinking of her.

But do you know what? That's totally understandable.

-Yeah.

-This is the first time you've ever been away from your twin.

Back in the UK, Jasmine and twin sister Shola do everything together

and Jasmine's trip to Africa

is the first time she's been away from home.

But do you know what? You're going to see her soon.

And when you get home and you tell your twin

all of these amazing things that you've achieved,

she's going to be beyond proud.

She's going to be, like, "I can't believe you've done all this!"

Oh...

Jaz may be struggling with being so far away from her sister,

but for some workers, living without family is a daily reality.

I want her to meet single mum Twiggy,

who has been at Billabong for 20 years.

Money is so tight, she's sent her eldest son

to live with his grandmother.

I let him stay there because I can't afford

to pay the school bus fees every month.

So, it's better for him to stay there

and then he comes...

Every second weekend, he comes down to Jeffreys Bay

to come pay a visit.

-Do you miss him?

-Yep, I really miss him a lot.

And as Jasmine realised today,

being apart from your family can be very tough.

I literally can't bear without my sister right now.

I'm really close. Are you really close to your son?

Yes, I am. I am very close to him.

Sometimes I get so afraid of losing...

That something might happen to him.

You are privileged to have family like that,

and a twin sister especially.

Twiggy's determination to be strong for her family

is a real eye-opener for Jaz.

It was really emotional

cos it's hard to see someone go through that much

and, like, compare it to your own life.

You can understand that she's, like...struggling.

She's a single mum, four kids, and she's missing her son so much.

Jaz is starting to see that life can be hard here.

'And with Rob still in shock from his first ever demotion,

'I want him to also understand

'that giving up just isn't an option.'

KNOCKING

-Hello? Hello.

-Ah, how are you?

-How do you do?

-Good, good.

Elton. I'm Stacey.

'I've brought him to meet another Billabong worker, Elton,

'his wife, Dorothy, and their children.'

-How are you?

-I'm OK.

OK, this is my sleeping room. This is where me and my wife sleep.

And then this is Kiera and Kiara's room.

-So it's all in one bedroom?

-All in one bedroom, yeah.

That's the way we stay here in our place.

This is William here. He's our baby.

I can't imagine having to share a room with my mum and dad.

-It would be a bit weird.

-ELTON LAUGHS

I think it would be.

I mean, to stay like this is not nice, you know.

'For Rob, visiting a much poorer part of town

'means the divide between rich and poor is becoming very clear.'

When we're working in the factory,

you don't notice anything like this cos you don't see it.

But when you're actually here,

you...you don't realise how bad it actually is.

Yeah, a tough life in Jeffreys Bay, tough life.

Do any of your kids get, like, pocket money?

HE LAUGHS

To be quite honest, no, not really.

Because we can't afford it, you know.

How much do you get, guys?

I get £15 a week, which is about 270 rand.

-What do you think of that, Elton?

-That's half of my salary...per week!

LAUGHTER

It's a bit more than one half.

Elton may only earn twice Rob's weekly pocket money,

but his job keeps his family fed and a roof over their heads.

The job that I'm doing is like... Is like a piece of gold for me,

because I can't afford to lose,

I can't afford to lose my job at this moment,

because if I have to lose my job now,

then I'm stranded, my kids are stranded,

my wife is stranded, my house is stranded, you know.

So, I can't afford. So, that is a piece of gold for me.

Do you think by the time your children are around your age

that everything will be different?

Most definitely, I think, yes.

I really want them to grow up

and want them to be the leaders of tomorrow.

I'm really pleased that I brought them to the township this evening.

I think it was very important, actually,

that they understood that there was this side to South Africa,

there was this side to Jeffreys Bay.

And it seems for Rob, spending time with Elton has helped him refocus.

I feel like, going into work tomorrow,

I feel like I'm going to take it... I'm going to take it more seriously.

I'm going to think about how much he earns

and think about how much work HE does.

I'm going to keep that in mind when I'm trying my hardest

and I'm just going to do it all for him really.

After a long day, the kids are staying in a house

just around the corner. But somebody's not happy.

Urgh, there's, like, stuff in the sink!

I want to brush my teeth and that's just putting me off.

And as everyone finally gets to bed,

sleep is the last thing on Ed's mind.

So, this was the first job in South Africa

and the first job that Rob wasn't promoted...

..and the first time only one person was promoted. That was me!

So, looking forward to the second day.

And out.

So, it's the morning of day two here in South Africa,

and we're just about to hit the factory.

Four of our five kids have got to come back fighting

and Ed has got to prove to Jacques

that he was right to single him out yesterday.

By impressing the boss in his first job,

today, Ed's been given sole responsibility

for one of the most important roles in the factory.

He'll be in the printing workshop

making one of the latest designs for their branded T-shirts.

When you start printing, you must make it a point

that you've got your right colours at the right time, everything.

Then you start printing them.

Supervisor Eddie is here to make sure Ed gets to grips

with the printing process.

When you print, you must look at your colours, what colour must I start.

Ed will be working with a five-colour print,

and each layer of paint must be applied individually,

in the right order and by hand.

-There is your print.

-Whoa!

I'm just, um, really impressed how fast you could do this.

It's a lot to take in,

but the boss is expecting Ed to hit the ground running.

You have to print 60 an hour. Can you do that for me?

I... I don't know. I'll have a go.

Ed's steady pace may have paid off yesterday,

but he's not feeling quite so confident today.

I think it is completely ridiculous. 60 an hour?

How am I going to do that?

But Ed's not the only one with a lot to prove.

After a particularly bad day yesterday,

Rob and the others must impress today.

-I have to look for that number first...

-That's right.

-..and then that number second.

-Yes.

The demoted kids are in the stockroom,

preparing T-shirts for shipment.

They've got a set number of boxes to complete.

-First box.

-Thank you.

-Right, so it's Cool Whip, it's Cool Whip.

Size four - where's size four?

Rob and Emily are sorting the T-shirts by size, colour and style.

So there has to be 24 in there?

-Yeah. No, no, the packet is ten.

-Pardon?

-One packet is ten.

-Oh, OK, I get it.

Whilst Rob tries to get his head around the job,

Jaz dives right in, determined to put yesterday behind her.

I want to prove Jacques wrong and show him what I'm made of.

I'm going to come back fighting.

You just have to follow the system.

Done.

There's only nine tops here, unless I counted it wrong.

Unfortunately for Rob, things aren't running quite so smoothly.

So, how many size 14s should there be?

There should be 26. This is well more than 26!

-Just count it!

-Does that mean there is another pair of sizes in there?

You're hurting my brain.

This task does have the potential to be quite confusing,

just because there are so many tops within the boxes.

They have to cross-reference size, style and colour

to make sure every order is perfectly executed.

I hope it isn't a recipe for disaster.

Not only has Rob got to keep on top of those T-shirts...

One, two, three, four...

..he's got the added obstacle of Emily.

-But if they're folded...

-Congratulations, Rob,

you know how to count.

-How many boxes? How many boxes?

-There's just one.

Only one. You must write, then, how many boxes here.

With the order piling up, Jaz steps in to help.

Four, five, six...

-So, that is now...24.

-Yeah.

I never thought counting could be so stressful.

But despite her best efforts,

not even Jaz can keep this team together.

-Jaz, you did it, you did size eight.

-Yeah, I've done size eight!

-Where have you put it?

-I put it back into the pile!

-You're meant to put them back!

-Which pile?

Size eight, this is size eight.

-Yeah.

-OK, that's good.

-Oh, my gosh!

You put it back into the pile?

Size eight is the smallest...

Back in the print workshop,

Ed's attention to detail has got him a perfect pile of prints.

For this, you actually have to get it right first time

on every single one...

or you're done for.

That's perfect, perfect.

Despite his unconfident start,

it seems Ed has well and truly risen to the challenge.

I feel very honoured that I'm the only one

trusted to do this line of business,

because maybe one of these prints

will be on someone's T-shirt one day,

and I'm kind of, like, "Whoa, that's my T-shirt that I made."

Back in the stockroom, things are looking up.

-All the big tops.

-Very good. That's nine.

-There's ten in this one.

-Ten.

-That's good.

Rob is determined not to let his bosses down again

and is doing everything he can to complete the order.

-This is girl's size 10, yeah?

-Yeah.

-How many are there?

-30.

-And it's meant to have 30, yeah?

-Yeah.

Right. OK, so that's that pile done.

And it hasn't escaped the boss's attention.

He is really trying.

Yeah, he's trying, but you see, he's counting them right.

He's trying to take charge, isn't he?

How many do I need to get of black size 12?

As the group finally pull together,

it looks like they might just finish the job.

-Yeah, size 12, is that right?

-I'm doing size 10.

But after the mess they've made of his stockroom,

the boss has had enough.

Sorry, sorry, sorry, everyone. We are finished now.

-We are finished now, stop the work.

-There's ten there.

OK, guys, you heard Joseph. It's finished.

-Hi.

-You all right, Ed?

-Where have you been?

I've been out testing skateboards.

-Have you? Really?

-You're not lying, right?

-April Fool's.

-I knew it. Oh!

-Come on, Ed.

-I knew it.

Anyway, enough of this chitchat.

You need to go and get yourselves ready. We've got another task.

Their final job is back on the factory floor

where they'll package T-shirts ready to be sold across South Africa.

And Floor Manager Meegan wants to see

how many they can complete in an hour.

Basically, what we do here

is we get the product from the print room where you've been,

and then we're in charge of folding it, putting on the tag.

But you've got to fold them neatly,

cos, from here, it goes to store in a bag in a box.

So, we put the sticker on the tag, fold the T-shirts,

-put them in the bags, tape the bag.

-Tape it up and then you're done.

After getting through the previous job by the skin of his teeth,

this is Rob's final chance to prove he's worthy of wages.

I'm not so great at folding clothes, as you can probably see already.

Hopefully I'll get the hang of it,

because I didn't do well in the task yesterday, which kind of upset me,

so I think I need to prove myself this time.

For that, he'll have to work on his folding technique - and fast.

It doesn't look right. I don't know what I've done.

I'm not good at this. I'm not good at this.

But Jasmine is doing so well, she even has time to help others.

You do it sidewards. Fold it a little bit.

-Right?

-Got it. Thanks, Jaz.

And Ed is going from strength to strength.

In fact, it seems he might just break the habit of a lifetime.

Go fast - that's my tactic.

And while Rob may not be the neatest,

what he lacks in skill, he more than makes up for in determination.

I'm going to make sure that I keep going, don't stop.

I am liking the look of that one. That is a nicely folded one.

Aced, aced that one.

OK, girls and guys, time's up. You've completed the task, thank you.

But will any of it be enough to earn a wage?

So, we know why we're here.

We've come to have a chat with our boss, Jacques.

He is going to talk to each of you

about how he believes you have performed here in his factory.

I think we've had our ups, we've had our downs,

so let's see how we've got on.

Jasmine, on your side...

The first day was a little bit tough for you as well.

We all fall. Don't give up. Don't give up. Never give up.

'I'm actually proud of myself.

'You have to make a comeback sometimes.'

You do have to make a comeback sometimes.

Kathryn, you don't always listen,

but workwise, you can do well,

and I'm pretty sure you will do well in the future.

Emily... A little bit up and down.

Again, also just focus a little bit more on your work,

you'll perform extremely well.

Ed, er, I think you were the underdog on the first task.

Er...you performed extremely well.

You get a little bit more confidence in yourself,

I think you could be up there with anybody else.

Um, I agree that I don't have

that much confidence in myself, really.

Um...but now I'll try to...

I'll try to get some more confidence somehow.

Rob, on your side, um... Yes, you've walked in here from the start

and I think you're quite confident in yourself.

You performed overall well.

In most of your cases, for all of you,

just take a step back sometimes

and don't rush things, and you can perform even better.

Jacques's definitely right about the feedback.

I didn't do as well as I thought.

Maybe I have a bit too much confidence in myself.

So, if you could tell us who will be receiving a wage today.

Rob, Ed, Jasmine will get paid.

Ed, I think you've done amazingly well.

It felt like you had a point to prove

and I think you've proved that point.

I think this has been where you've been at your best.

I think this factory was your factory.

Rob, you're back! You've got wages.

Yeah. It's actually made me quite happy

cos I didn't think I was going to get them.

I thought that maybe this was the one...

This was a wall that I can't get past

and it was going to be like this for the rest,

but...it's nice to kind of carry on.

240 rand.

Ed, 240.

Robbie, very well done.

'That's just under £15, the same as Rob's weekly pocket money.'

What are you going to do with it?

I think I'm going to give most of it to Elton

because I feel like he deserves a lot more than he actually gets.

That is amazing, like, beyond amazing.

I know for an absolute fact he is going to be totally blown away

when you go up to him and give him that money,

so you should be unbelievably proud of yourself for doing that.

'Next time...' Oh, my gosh!

'Can the kids handle one of the most expensive things on the planet -

'diamonds? Can Emily win over the boss?'

EMILY GASPS

'And it's the kids' last chance

'to show us what they're really made of.'

Rob is annoying me!