The Apprentice is giving apprenticeships a bad name, says the ex-business secretary

Like a lot of people, I’ve been watching the latest series of The Apprentice, and while it’s entertaining I must admit to having some reservations about the show. I know audiences like the knockout format – in that respect it’s a little like Strictly Come Dancing, which I took part in myself several years ago. And like Strictly it’s a global brand to the extent that the presenter of the first 14 series of the American show, Donald Trump, is now a presidential candidate.

But the problem I have with The Apprentice is that it has very little to do with apprentices – people doing serious vocational training. In short, it’s sending out the wrong message about apprenticeship schemes. People sometimes wrongly assume apprenticeships are only available in areas like engineering and manual skills, as they were many years ago, but today many multinational companies offer apprenticeships in areas such as finance, commerce and IT – transferable skills essential for making your way in the modern business world.

As Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills in the Tory-Lib Dem coalition government of 2010-15 I championed apprenticeships, which had been declining to a worrying extent in previous years. I wanted to make clear to young people that there was an alternative to going off to university, and the number of people enrolling in apprenticeships has since gone up dramatically.

But to make sure UK plc has the well-trained workforce it needs to succeed in a post-Brexit world, we must present apprenticeships in a positive light, and Alan Sugar’s highly competitive version isn’t typical of the way most schemes work. Yes, there’s fierce competition to get on to apprenticeship schemes at top companies – I’ve been told it’s more difficult to get an apprenticeship with Jaguar Land Rover than it is to get into Oxford or Cambridge! But most firms struggle to recruit apprentices, and I worry that young people watching the TV reality show might be put off by its confrontational style.

The Apprentice sometimes seems as keen to focus on the rivalry between the contestants as the challenges they face, whereas business success is as much about teamwork as individual endeavour. If I was ever given the opportunity to host the show, I’d give praise where praise is due and try to help candidates pinpoint their individual strengths and weaknesses. I’d be less likely to say, ‘You’re fired!’ and more likely to say, ‘Thank you and goodbye’ – although I realise that this might make for less exciting television!