Sir Alan Sugar is to front a new Government campaign encouraging more people to take up apprenticeships.
The tycoon will appear in television adverts promoting the benefits to employers of taking on apprentices.
The government wants to see up to 400,000 apprenticeships on offer in England by 2020, covering one in five young people in total.
Sir Alan, star of BBC1's The Apprentice, said: "The fact is that some people learn better on the job or by seeing how their learning applies to the real world - that's why I'm backing apprenticeships.
"People who do apprenticeships become ambitious, they're 'doers', the kind of people who will make things happen. These are the qualities I look for in people.
"Success is all about finding people like this - people who will help make any business grow, especially in times like these."
The announcement comes as a Bill to raise the school leaving age to 18 received the Royal Assent.
The Bill also gives all adults in England the legal right to funding for basic literacy and numeracy courses and some vocational qualifications.
