Russia is launching a new reality TV show this month called ‘Zavod’ or ‘The Factory’. It is an attempt to put industrial work in a new light as university students and those without prior work experience compete for a potential job at a chemical factory. Managers will evaluate contestants on the reality TV series through five qualifying rounds based on team work and professionalism. By the end of the series, the winners will be offered one of three roles: “remote control-panel operator for ammonia production”, “technician for control and measuring instruments” and “process area shift leader”.
Under the Soviet Union, the manufacturing industry was thought of as prestigious however under the current Russian regime it has collapsed. Zavod wants to dispel the myths and show how a modern hi-tech production chemical factory operates. Deputy Director Ekaterina Vozhegova voiced her concern that “the profession of workers, technicians, engineers unjustly enjoyed low popularity”. She also added that youth nowadays believe that the work is underpaid, overvalued and dangerous.