Change of use: microchip factory re-born as call centre

Last year, Siemens closed its nearly-new microchip production facility on Tyneside. Claiming unforeseen market conditions, the company ran into a storm of protest from the local community, where numerous jobs were lost, as well as from some MPs unhappy about lost investment.

Orange has now converted the building for use as a customer services call centre, bringing jobs back to the area. But the change has not been universally welcomed.

Rick Ordiss, a Newcastle University labour economist, expressed the misgivings: "Anyone who looks at the call centre industry as some sort of a solution to a long-term problem is probably fooling themselves.

"These are not what you would call high quality jobs. The evidence for them being a platform on which to build the skill base from which to go on to a more lucrative job is questionable," he said.

Orange, however, believes that call centres have a definite role. Enough people still want to talk to someone when they have a service need, the company argues. The call centre industry will continue to thrive, it says, even as technology continues to develop.

Elliott Chase