TV hit shows – Dragon’s Den and Sir Alan Sugar’s The Apprentice – are prompting more young people to think of money-making schemes they hope will make them rich.

And there’s no shortage of role models in the UK for today’s youth to aspire towards. Campaigning role models such as Richard Branson, Jamie Oliver and Anita Roddick, top the league of most admired entrepreneurs according to City & Guilds’ 'Generation Entreprise' survey.

Successful entrepreneurs such as Jamie Oliver - who has a City & Guilds in catering - are living proof that you can be your own boss and run a successful business under the age of 30.

And according to City & Guilds’ first Youth Aspiration Index, an annual monitor of the career goals of Britain’s 14-19 year olds, a significant majority of young people (85 per cent) are willing to work hard to reach the top.

Nearly all (94 per cent) of the young people questioned are fully prepared to work long hours to reach their goals and, dispelling the myth that today’s students hold little regard for their education, 83 per cent stated that they want to use the skills they’ve learnt in their career.