Interesting news of a shake-up with The Apprentice's format for 2011, couresy of this BBC press release. Essentially, the winner will no longer become Lord Alan Sugar's literal apprentice in his existing business empire (i.e. tucked away working on a relatively trivial Amstrad product or initiative). Instead, the winner will become Lord Sugar's 50/50 partner in a business venture of their choosing, using £250,000 of initial investment. This change won't effect the sixth series, scheduled for this autumn, but will come into effect for the seventh series. If you want to apply, click here.
What do you make of this news? I think it's a great idea, because the current prize for the winner has always felt quite a letdown, as the job they were given rarely seemed to take advantage of their individual skills. But now the winner will get the chance to build a tailor-made business, with Lord Sugar's support and financial backing. And considering the fact it's £250k of his own money they'll be using, and he gets to keep 50% of any profits, I get the feeling Lord Sugar's going to be more discerning about the winner.
