Britain's army of trainees: The Apprentice (the <i>IoS</i> version, not Sir Alan's)

The nation's grumpiest businessman and his cut-throat wannabes are back on TV this week. But there's no such glitz in the real world, just hard work

Sir Alan Sugar is due to despatch his first victim from the fifth series of The Apprentice on Wednesday night (BBC)

Like a pantomime villain, Britain's grumpiest boss returns with his dreaded firing finger at the ready for another run of The Apprentice. Sir Alan Sugar is due to despatch his first victim from the fifth "job interview from hell" series on Wednesday night.

Expect the now-familiar dose of tantrums, tears, testosterone and extra helpings of back-stabbing as the competitors do their best to grease up to the self-made millionaire in the hope that he will one day employ them.

The format has proved popular, and Sir Alan will ham it up and bark orders while flitting in his helicopter to the most unlikely of London locations; the contestants are up at 6am each day to maximise the time they can either flirt with each other or bluster away in business babble about how they want the job 2,000 per cent.

And viewers will no doubt scream "not her again" and "fire that one" in panto tradition.

But away from the bravado, the panoramic shots of Canary Wharf and the haunting classical music, the lives of real-life apprentices are very different.

The numbers learning new skills through apprenticeships are on the rise, and the Government has pledged to spend £140m to open up 35,000 new schemes over the next year. For the young trainees in these schemes this is no game show; there are no six-figure salaries at the end, just hard work and a desperate desire not to join the two million souls on the dole.

Sir Alan has thrown his weight behind the Government's plan to promote apprenticeship schemes. "I've succeeded in business because I've employed people with dedication, motivation and persistence," he said. "Apprentices are ambitious, they're doers and they make things happen. Young people need choices that motivate them."

The Independent on Sunday met 10 of the budding hopefuls who are competing for their futures as real-life apprentices.

1. Cathy Fiedler, 25, from Cardiff

Qualifications: Master's in biodiversity and conservation.

Apprenticeship: She works in Glasgow on an apprentice hymenoptera (the study of pollinating insects) course at Natural Talent.

Cathy Fiedler aims to help the save the planet with her apprenticeship. She did voluntary work for a year to show her dedication to getting on the Natural Talent course and is now looking to kick-start her career. "I hope to get a job in conservation," she said. "The lives of pollinating insects are integral to the survival of the planet but relatively little research has been done into them. There are so many facets to the job. I love going out in the field, it's exciting, practical and you feel as though you're really helping. Being cooped up in a museum over the winter is less enjoyable, but you learn a lot in that time."

2. Emily Leadbetter, 22, from Reading

Qualifications: National diploma in fine art.

Apprenticeship: As a goldsmith, at Woodley Goldsmiths, Reading.

A hobby has turned into a profession for Emily Leadbetter. She thinks goldsmithery is "a dying art" but it hasn't put her off learning how to make jewellery, with the ambition of one day opening a shop.

"It's great fun... but goldsmithery is a dying art. I'm lucky to be able to work with someone who has 45 years' experience and I know that nothing could be better for preparing me to one day design and sell my own stuff," she said. "Before this apprenticeship I worked as a customer service adviser and made jewellery on the side. If I hadn't got this opportunity I would be bored out of my mind. I don't think I'd like to work with Alan Sugar and I don't think the apprentices on the show would make good goldsmiths."

3. Sean Quinney, 47, from Warwickshire

Qualifications: NVQ2 in animal care.

Apprenticeship: Animal care apprenticeship combined with NVQ level 3 at Warwickshire College.

Sean Quinney frankly admits he is"not the hardest worker" but he's just being bashful: he has won prizes at his college and has been nominated for a National Apprentice of the Year award for his work running Oak Farm Kennels.

"I'm not the hardest worker, hence why I run a boarding kennels. Money is nice but I just like the lifestyle I have got. I don't think I could work for some one else, even Sir Alan."

4. Stacey Mackie, 23, from Aviemore, near Inverness

Qualifications: 10 GCSEs. Apprenticeship Professional cookery.

She once entertained children for a living but was yearning for a change. Now she is in college part of the week and an apprentice working in local restaurants – including a four-star hotel in Scotland – for the rest of it.

"When the cooking gets going it's a real buzz and that is why one day I want to move down to London and take on the world of fine dining. When I was growing up it was all about Gary Rhodes. I love a challenge and if I were on The Apprentice I think Sir Alan would like me as long as I could stop laughing. I am a fan of the show and I am definitely ambitious enough to give it a go."

5. Michelle Taylor, 38, from Edinburgh

Qualifications: NVQC in painting and decorating.

Apprenticeship: Painter and decorator with Mardon Project Services.

With two growing children, Michelle Taylor felt she couldn't move from her job as a security guard. Now, she feels a life of career prospects has opened up for her.

"I threw myself into this course because for the first time I felt respected and needed. I won Apprentice of the Year at college and I absolutely love it. I could imagine setting up my business, but I want to stay here and become a manager because Donald [Michelle's boss] has been so good to me. He gave me my own van, let me have time off for the kids, and looked out for me. I always loved doing up my own home and it's great to see the look on people's faces when they see the job you've done in their home."

6. Dario Batzella, 20, from Rome, now in Edinburgh

Apprenticeship: Sword-maker at Macdonald Armouries. Dario Batzella is four days into his apprenticeship, but he is sure he has made the right choice.

"Originally I studied carpentry, which is in some ways similar to sword making. Some of the tools are the same, and they are both physical but creative jobs," he said. "It can be very hard work, but so few people can make traditional swords today that it will be an almost unique skill to have. I want to set up my own business in Italy but the apprenticeship will take six years because there's a lot to learn. I made some armour in Italy but this is my first experience of sword making. I studied karate for five years, but I'm learning to fence. My dream is to one day make swords that I can fence with."

7. Daniel Walker, 18 from Dagenham

Qualifications: BTEC in adult care.

Apprenticeship: Working in adult and community services at Barking and Dagenham council. It was an apprenticeship or the dole for Daniel Walker – he knows the frustration of the job market because he's already had a go at it.

"I left school at 16 and it was hard to find work," he said. "If I hadn't found this job I would probably still be signing on. My job involves caring for the elderly. Typically my day begins at 7.30: I go in, get the residents up, make breakfast, wash and tidy up, bathe them and make lunch. It can be exhausting but it's great to know that you're making a difference. The best part of the job is that it's practically recession-proof. There's no guarantee of a job here, but they'll help me find work. There'll always be a need for carers and there are always jobs available."

8. Tashaneish Crawford, 18, from Kingston, Jamaica, now lives in Moss Side, Manchester

Qualifications: 11 GCSEs.

Apprenticeship: Advanced apprenticeship in media production.

In her spare time, Tashaneish Crawford writes poetry but she was stirred to become a journalist when her friend Jessie James's death in Moss Side in 2006 became the centre of a media storm. She said the neighbourhood has been unfairly portrayed.

"I was born in Trench Town where people get killed for no reason. It's not as bad as that." She has already seen the inside of the Panorama newsroom and BBC Manchester Radio's studios during work placements and does not fear how the recession-hit job market might limit her chances of turning her apprenticeship into a full-time job. "I'm enthusiastic, not shy, really bubbly, quirky and hard-working," Tashaneish said. "If I were on The Apprentice I would definitely win and I could be cut-throat if I had to be. I always have to find out the truth and ask a lot of questions."

9. Craig King, 20, from Taunton

Qualifications: Two A levels.

Apprenticeship: Somerset County Council finance apprenticeship scheme. Wary of the debts totted up by university students struggling to pay their tuition fees, and wanting immediate hands-on experience, Craig King took an apprenticeship at the local council offices with day release for an accountancy course. The alternative, he feared, was a bleak job market and the risk of nothing at all.

"If I wasn't doing this I guess I would be looking for a job at the moment," he said. "It has been great so far. I would have tried to go into work straight from school, but right now I don't know how easy that would be. I always considered apprenticeships to be a lot better than going to university because you get to earn and learn at the same time and you don't rack up huge debts."

10. Matthew Morrow, 19 from Brookeborough, near Enniskillen, Northern Ireland

Qualifications: Seven GCSEs.

Apprenticeship: Electrical engineering and maintenance at Fivemile Town Creamery. In his spare time, Matthew farms sheep. He left school at 17 in pursuit of work connected with his passion for mechanics. Matthew now finds himself on a shop floor four days of a working week and studying electrical engineering at college on the fifth day.

"To do this job you need to be good with your hands and quick at picking things up because most of it is on the job training, but I would say apprenticeships are definitely a good line to go down and the more people that follow in my footsteps the better."