BBC confirms 'Junior Apprentice' for 2010

The first ever Junior Apprentice for 16 and 17-year-olds will air in 2010, the BBC has announced.

The broadcaster has also confirmed a sixth series of the main BBC One show, which will return as expected next year.

The spinoff of Sir Alan Sugar's popular series will run for five episodes and feature 10 candidates, reports The Guardian. The tone and format is expected to be tweaked slightly from the original programme to take account of contestants' ages.

Instead of a £100,000 job working for Sugar, the winner will be given a prize up to the value of £25,000 tailored to their career prospects.

No scheduling details for the Junior Apprentice have been revealed, but it is expected to air in a peaktime slot.

"Junior Apprentice is a great opportunity for teenagers to learn about business first-hand from one of Britain's most successful entrepreneurs, Sir Alan Sugar," said Talkback Thames chief executive Lorraine Heggessey.

"The main series of The Apprentice is extremely popular with younger audiences and we're delighted to give them a chance to prove themselves in this challenging competitive environment."

Sir Alan Sugar has frequently spoken about his passion to create a junior version of the show, insisting that it would be more interesting than a full series of Celebrity Apprentice.

On last night's You're Fired!, presenter Adrian Chiles revealed the news that young hopefuls can start applying for the new show.