Updated 1:05pm 31 May 2012

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Short apprenticeships 'no benefit'

Apprenticeships of less than six months provide "no real benefit" to trainees or their employers, a parliamentary report has warned.Read

Karren Brady

Former Birmingham City boss Karren Brady reveals secrets in new book

FEISTY former Birmingham City MD Karren Brady has put her business success down to an immense self-belief that was even evident when she was a toddler.Read

Theo Paphitis

Video: Dragon's Den star Theo Paphitis flattered to be considered a hero by Apprentice hopeful Nick Holzherr

DRAGON’S Den star Theo Paphitis says he is “flattered” to be considered a hero by a budding Birmingham entrepreneur battling to win BBC show The Apprentice.Read

Claire Young

Apprentice 2012: Claire Young's verdict after Bilyana is fired and Birmingham hopeful Nick Holzherr steps up to the challenge

Within five minutes of episode one starting I was cringing for the candidates as the egotistical one liners kept flowing; Gabrielle has promised to ‘roar her way to the top’ and Ricky is a Shark. If Tom Gearing is running a 3.5 million business why on earth does he need to go on The Apprentice? Can anyone else smell the horse manure in the air?Read

Apprentice loser Bilyana Apostolova says: 'I fired myself'

A TRAINEE City of London wealth manager who originally comes from Bulgaria was the first candidate to be fired by Lord Alan Sugar from the new series of the Apprentice.Read

Ruth Badger

Video: Former Apprentice star Ruth Badger reveals top tips to avoid wrath of Lord Sugar

APPRENTICE star Ruth Badger has revealed her top tips for this year's contestants while on a visit to Birmingham. A 16-strong crop of hopefuls will be battling it out in the boardroom to be named Lord Alan Sugar’s next apprentice in this year’s series, which starts tomorrow tonight (WED 21 MARCH). Flying the flag for Birmingham is 25-year-old technology entrepreneur Nick Holzherr, who first revealed his business acumen as a nine-year-old when he sold golf balls back to golfers.Read

Claire Young

Apprentice 2012: Former Karren Brady favourite Claire Young to give verdict on contestants

FORMER Apprentice runner-up Claire Young, who famously turned down a job offer from ex-Blues boss Karren Brady, will be giving her verdict on the new series in a column for Birminghammail.net.Read

Lord Sugar critical of parents

Tough-talking tycoon Lord Sugar has hit out at parents for bringing up a generation fit only to claim benefits.Read

Nick Holzherr

Birmingham graduate Nick Holzherr hoping to become Alan Sugar's next Apprentice

HE started his business career at the age of just nine – by selling stray golf balls to golfers. Now Birmingham entrepreneur Nick Holzherr will compete against 15 other hopefuls as he attempts to become Sir Alan Sugar’s latest Apprentice, to scoop a cool £250,000. Read

Nick Holzherr

The Apprentice: Birmingham contestant Nick Holzherr says ‘grab what you can for free’ (Video)

Birmingham Apprentice contestant Nick Holzherr dishes out advice to budding entrepreneurs. Read

Nick Holzherr

The Apprentice: All you need to know about the 16 contestants

WITH the eighth series of The Apprentice kicking off on March 21, here’s everything you need to know about all 16 contestants.Read

BAE to recruit 265 apprentices

Defence giant BAE Systems is to recruit 265 apprentices across the UK this year, it has been announced.Read

Value call over apprenticeships

The Government has been urged to set its sights higher to get better value from the millions of pounds it is spending on adult apprenticeships.Read

Downton up for national TV awards

Period hit Downton Abbey will take on Doctor Who for the title of top drama at the National Television Awards.Read

Skills worry limits apprenticeships

Only one in five firms has taken on an apprentice in the past year and even fewer will change their hiring plans amid increasing concern about poor basic skills such as numeracy and literacy, a report has revealed.Read

Jo was dreading weekend, court told

Joanna Yeates told friends she was "dreading" spending the weekend alone, hours before she was killed, a court has heard.Read

900,000 gain from minimum pay rise

Almost 900,000 workers, mainly women, will get a pay rise when the minimum wage breaks through the £6-an-hour barrier for the first time this weekend, union leaders have said.Read

'Nice guy' Tom hired by Lord Sugar

Inventor Tom Pellereau has been crowned the winner of this year's Apprentice after Lord Sugar followed his "gut feeling" to invest in him.Read

Jail editors over hacking - Sugar

Newspaper editors, directors and proprietors should face prison sentences over the phone hacking scandal, Lord Sugar has said.Read

X Factor finalists One Direction prepare for Wolverhampton concert

X FACTOR finalists One Direction will perform before thousands of screaming fans at a special homecoming show in the Midlands tonight.Read