Businesses that take up the government's Apprentice Grant for Employers (AGE) scheme can receive a £2,500 grant for each 16 or 17-year-old apprentice taken on.

The government have recently launched National Apprenticeship Week, celebrating the commitment of employers to recruit apprentices and urging people to look at the benefits to their skills and career of becoming an apprentice.

"For so many businesses to be planning to recruit in 2010 is good news for the whole economy. It shows employers increasingly recognise the benefits they get from hiring apprentices. Undertaking an Apprenticeship is a great way of learning a trade and gaining vocational experience," said Business Minister Pat McFadden.