OPENING the frosted glass doors, Lord Alan Sugar frowns, offering a withering glance.

Television’s pantomime villain has arrived, and he wants an apprentice.

Have a strong business idea, make the most money in a few tasks, create new products and you’ll get the job.

The brief seems clear enough, but his quest carries a number of flaws, not least the fact he must contend with the incessant one-upmanship of those sitting across the table.

The Apprentice, a BBC ratings winner using people’s fame-hungry desperation for hits, is about as close to the traditional apprenticeship route as Lord Sugar, the former Tottenham Hotspur chairman, is to the club’s bitter rivals Arsenal.

Forget trotting out business clichés on television, real apprenticeships are about youngsters learning their trade by feeding off the experience around them to acquire skills for life, and they are back in vogue.

They were once viewed as a lesser alternative, with university thrust forward by Tony Blair.

But their value is becoming more prominent, and as nervous youngsters prepare to tear open envelopes to reveal their GCSE results tomorrow (Thursday, August 20), just as A-Level students did last week, there are many that will benefit from knowing university isn’t simply their only choice.

For Rachel Hoggett, it's clear.

Securing an apprenticeship with civil engineer Owen Pugh, she became the first woman plant operator in its civil aggregates division’s 100-year-history.

Based at Marsden Quarry, near Sunderland, she moves aggregates from crushers into separate stock piles, and is unequivocal about the worth of apprenticeships.

The 22-year-old began with Owen Pugh in 2011, and is a former business and administration apprentice.

She said: “When I started it was hard to get a job.

“By taking on an apprenticeship, I got to learn while I was earning.

“For people out there thinking about it, I would definitely recommend an apprenticeship over college.

“You get real skills, so when you go into a job it’s not alien to you.”

Darragh Spencer, who works at Randall Orchard Construction, in Richmond, North Yorkshire, was previously named apprentice of the year at the National Federation of Builders’ Awards.

He was also crowned regional and national winner at the Construction Plant-Hire Association’s Stars of the Future ceremony after choosing an apprenticeship over university.

Mr Spencer is now a plant manager after a plant maintenance apprenticeship, supported by Askham Bryan College.

The 23-year-old said: "My dad was an engineer so I grew up around that, and it was a big influence on me.

"I did my A-Levels in maths, chemistry, physics and design technology, and got to the university stage.

"But I realised it wasn't for me; I didn't really fancy it.

"It was drummed into you that you would go to university and have a successful career.

"But an apprenticeship gives me an end product, it's more on the practical side, rather than the theory side, and there's an something to look at.

"If people are looking at doing an apprenticeship, I'd definitely tell them to go for it."

According to Government figures, more than 26,700 apprenticeships were started in 2014/15 across the North-East, and Steve Grant, managing director at training provider TTE, based in South Bank, near Middlesbrough, says perceptions are changing.

The 25-year-old organisation, founded as a joint venture company by ICI and British Steel to develop apprentices, works with engineering, oil and gas and manufacturing firms to bring on the next generation.

As we talk, Mr Grant refers to a letter from a parent, thanking TTE for its help in putting their two sons on the road to successful careers.

“Apprenticeships are probably more popular as an option than maybe they were, certainly in the last ten to 20 years”, he said.

“They had started to be seen as a bit of a second-class citizen in terms of going to university.

“But today, people do have a much more balanced view of things.

“Some still want to go to university, which is great, but others see their future in an apprenticeship.

“They see the courses that can lead to careers and those people with good jobs who were an apprentice.”

Some of those people referred to include Darlington-born Mike Matthews, managing director and European operations officer at car parts firm Nifco UK, based in Eaglescliffe, near Stockton, and Mike McCabe, the former plant manager of Cummins Engines, in Darlington.

Further afield, Stewart Wingate, Gatwick Airport’s Bishop Auckland-born chief executive, is another former apprentice.

The trio, as well as nearly 10,000 other trainees, all cut their teeth at South West Durham Training, in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham.

Mr Matthews, a time-served toolmaker, is now overseeing Nifco UK’s expansion into a third factory in the region, and says apprenticeships are invaluable.

However, Mr Matthews also says businesses must take responsibility and provide opportunities for youngsters.

He said: “Apprentices have a huge amount to offer to industry, bringing fresh thinking and a flair that can really help to change the culture of a business.

“As is the case in many sectors, manufacturing in the region faces a challenge if it is to maintain the breadth of skills needed to sustain its growth.

“This is where businesses need to seize the initiative and grow their own talent.

“This is not something that should be left to a select few; it is every business’ responsibility, from small to large, to develop the skilled people we will all need in the short, medium and long-term.

“I’d encourage all business leaders across all sectors to recognise the role they can play in shaping the future of young, hungry people, and setting them on the pathway to a successful career.”

Wayne Baxter, managing director of Redcar-based engineering specialists, Haden Freeman, echoes such worries over a potential shortage of career opportunities, and has called for joined up thinking between education providers and industry.

His company is known for its design and project management work, and previously helped nearby firm Applied Graphene Materials increase production at its plant.

He said: "It's vital the engineering and manufacturing industry helps schools and colleges in the region to effectively capitalise on the increased interest in science, technology, engineering and maths demonstrated by last week’s A-Level results.

"There are many exciting career opportunities offered in engineering and as it stands I don’t believe we are doing enough to highlight these to young people.

“Given the North-East’s manufacturing and engineering heritage, failing to do this will impact significantly on the economy of the entire region, and we will continue to struggle to recruit young talent.

“Here at Haden Freeman, we now have an apprenticeship scheme for budding engineers in the region.

"This aims to give young people, from school leavers to A Level students, the opportunity to be part of science and technology projects right here in our region, earning competitive salaries, while also addressing the industry’s on-going skills shortage.

“Apprenticeships are often only considered an option for 16 to 18-year-olds, but here, and at many firms across the region, engineering apprenticeships are also offered for those who are 19 or above.

"These provide opportunity for hands-on training and great career progression without the £9,000 yearly university tuition.”

Douglas Kell, director of the North-East Civil Engineering Contractors’ Association, refers to the financial gains an apprenticeship can deliver, saying students don’t just have to look at degrees and university.

He said: “Basic pay in 1975 was £34 a week.

“Today, it’s £440 a week and you can’t explain that away as inflation.

“There are prospects now of up to £40,000 a year, plus guaranteed bonuses, supports and other considerations.

“Opportunities exist for young women and men, and the variety of options to progress is remarkable.

“That includes support in many cases for school leavers, who might still aspire to a degree but get it while they build their existing careers, instead of running up debt as full-time students only to start career searching after that.”