Perhaps this is why series seven in 2011 is different:


Sugar doesn't have any need for a new apprentice - they quit after a year or so! A join investment in a business could be a better way for the winner to stick around.

Sorry, your post is almost completely wrong.

Tim Campbell 2 years 6 months

Michelle Dewberry 11 months

Simon Ambrose 3 years 6 months

Lee McQueen 2 years 6 months

Yasmina Siadatan 1 Year 9 months to date, ongoing

Yasmina will be giving a presentation at the 4th Munich Digital Signage Conference, Kempinski Hotel conference centre on the 19th October at 2.10pm in the main arena. Subject, Simplifying DOOH Networks. Since when did being pregnant stop a woman from working or talking?

Those time periods include the 6months working as a finalist, btw.

I served as a traditional style Apprentice Toolmaker from 1979, and in those days you were 'indentured' for a fixed term, in my case 4 years. It was a contract for an apprenticeship, not employment.

I recall the apprenticships offered in this program have been for 12 months, so technically I would say Lord Sugar has served them all very well, especially as all the winners also seem to have first worked for him from late October following filming through to the following June when the winner becomes known.

All the Lord Sugar bashing is so misplaced sometimes!

Yes the term apprentice does have a formal status, even now. The show borrowed it to imply that Trump, etc would be fully training/mentoring them in the way a proper apprenticeship works. No evidence that happens much. Looking at the UK ones who have left, I don't feel that financially they are really much better off than you'd have expected them to have achieved anyway working for someone else. Although now they have access to jobs and freedom in areas they would not have done eg. Tim Campbell on Question Time. They are also still quite young.

I included the 6 months you pointed out as it's usually forgotten off Michelle's history. As that's when what they do decides the winner, it's probably the hardest and most intense learning period. Applies to the runner's up too of course.

There have also been fringe benefits for some of the non-winners too. Take a look at Saira, James, Kristina, Claire and Kate, all of whom have been able to build or capitalise on their appearances.

Of course let's not dismiss the fact that a £250,000 business investment is not pocket money, what an opportunity for someone. Don't you just find it tedious to read posters who try and interpret an improvement to the format as a mere face saving exercise? So Daily Mail!

You can add quite a few to that list. Howard from S5 was offered his current job from being noticed and impressing on the show. If you come across like a hard working grown up, then the show won't do you any harm at all, quite the reverse. If you come across as a lying, cheating, talentless, etc etc you are never going to live it down.

I think the investment change is a real improvement. Not sure how it will work. But you're right, investment like that is rarely available for a start-up. Even rarer now from banks.

Didn't seem to do Katie Hopkins too much harm...

Only cos little clay figures across the nation and voodoo, haven't worked


But time to give it another go

All but one of the winners has left Sugar's employ so I don't think my post is completely wrong. I took the quotes from Wikipedia - which isn't 100 percent correct.

I didn't say competely wrong, just almost as they all lasted much longer than a year except for one. And Yasmina is still there!

Yes, Wikipedia is wrong Gossip from tabloids gets posted into that too.

For an executive person to leave a firm after a couple of years isn't unusual at all. Some work for only a few months. As another poster pointed out, proper apprenticeships are for longer, a set period in order to reach a definate standard skill set. Wish there was a management version to be honest.

However, I do agree that a joint investment is likely to have longer working term, and thus more benefit. Just don't listen to Sugar about what's hot technology or not. He's so far behind now it's risable.

Not bad going. Most young people don't stay in a firm longer than two years. They've all done quite well out of it.

michelle should never have won but ruth got her own show out of it so i guess she done well

kate was on her show earlier talking aobut the apprentice and how intense it was is she still seeing phillip?

Agreed, yes they have. It's certainly opened doors they would never have even gone near before. And I don't mean the z-list celeb circuit.

Kate Walsh co-hosts Live From Studio Five on Channel er..... oh yes, Five!

She's not done bad out of appearing on The Apprentice. Major success, I reckon.

Yes, but in a rather cringing sort of way. IMHO Kate was one of the weakess finalists ever bar Simon Ambrose.

Ok the final is decided by the six months we don't see them working for Sugar, in this case Amscreen. In the final however Yasmina totally led her team, whereas the major decisions as to product, price and brand name were totally initiated by Debra. So we sort of got the Debra / Yasmina final it should have been afterall. But Debra made the wrong calls and Kate ok'd them

I think Kate was/is a totally competetant junior management type with slightly more guts and skill than many in the same league. But a desire for sucess or fame by being on tv, you judge. IMHO a bit of an celebritity fame obsessed airhead

I did see, a few days ago, a report from one of Sugar's BBC radio interviews plugging The Apprentice. The interviewer asked him about Kate, the report went he put his finger to his lips and said nothing. The interviewer took the hint and changed the subject.
Can't find the link now, so you'll believe me or you won't

I don't know if that's what she aimed for but she's a good tv presenter, she's warm on screen, seems friendly. Live From Studio 5 is a bit naff but I'm sure the job pays reasonably well, I can't imagine there's as much pressure doing a 30 mins a day tv show as there is working for a big company in the city. It's strange how her life and career changed so much after appearing on The Apprentice. Perhaps a contestant in this year's series will pursue a career in tv? James Max, a contestant in series 1, is now a radio presenter on LBC radio (in London). Appearing on the show can change your life.

I doubt it too. I mean it's not C4 news or Newsnight is it? Just fluff your way through today's celeb interview, well inane chat more like. James Max does still have a property based real job as well. Despite the attention, he's not just a media career

I think Kate was very non-confrontational and in that respect not a typical Apprentice candidate. Over an entire series of The Apprentice it must be near impossible to be non-confrontational. Sooner or later someone is going to annoy you or make a big mistake and you may lose your cool, shout at them, have a big argument. I don't recall Kate ever getting annoyed with anyone. Sugar thought she was a bit robotic but her personality convinced people in tv to hire her. Sugar's loss was Channel 5's gain.

On several occassions, we saw Kate give Lorraine a look of pure hatred. Overheard, and watched the plan to get rid of her hatched with Howard. It backfired against Howard. He for his part still thinks she's wonderful btw. Poor woobie. But he's gay, so why should he try to work out women?

As to her on C5, have you not seen Charlie Brooker's review. Possibly the most scathing he has ever been. But yes she suits that show, totally non-confrontational, due to the fact she hasn't a single opinion/idea in her head. Go with whatever she is told will be best. Kate is completely programmable, so expect to see her have a long career on minority channels.

You like and respond to z-list celeb culture I take it. I detest it. We have little common ground here. Sorry