Tim Campbell, social entrepreneur and winner of the first BBC series of The Apprentice, this week spoke up in support of this newspaper’s 100 in 100 campaign asking businesses, large and small, to employ 100 apprentices in 100 days, writes Alexis Thompson.

Mr Campbell says it is a brilliant initiative, which he has given his full support to.

He said: “Apprenticeships allow young people to develop new skills and go on to pursue rewarding careers in the industry in which they want to work.

“But we need to dispel this myth that apprenticeships are only for students who have failed their exams or who don’t want to go down the academic route.

“Apprenticeships are open to everyone, even university graduates can go on to do apprenticeships.

“In London, there is a huge, untapped talent pool. The key to unlocking it is the development of real in-work training initiatives that allow people to realise their – potential and business to develop these home-grown skills to the benefit of the company.”

Mr Campbell, a former London Underground manager, says his apprenticeship with Lord Sugar helped him flourish and learn the core skills to help him in business.

He said: “My time on The Apprentice was an incredible experience. It helped build my self-confidence and taught me practical skills. But not everyone has the opportunity to go on a television programme and work for Lord Sugar.

“With campaigns like 100 in 100, we are making apprenticeships accessible to everyone, regardless of where they live or what their background is.”

Mr Campbell, who has been described as the ‘human face of business’, is also a motivational speaker and founder of the Bright Ideas Trust.

After leaving Amstrad two years ago, he went on to set up the social enterprise, which encourages young budding entrepreneurs from disadvantaged backgrounds to start business ventures by giving them greater access to start-up finance and real business mentors.

He said: “I wanted to share what I had learnt with others. Schemes like this help young people develop the skills they need in order to be successful in business, and help give them access to the start-up capital they need in order to help get their ideas off the ground in the first place.

“Similar to apprenticeships, these type of schemes are important to help get people into good jobs and create money as well.”

The Government recently announced it is spending another £150m on its apprenticeships programme and that tackling youth unemployment is high on its agenda.

Our 100 in 100 campaign is a collaborative partnership between Newsquest and the National Apprenticeship Service, and is high of the agenda of both local and national government.