The Guardian series is asking you to back a campaign which could raise your business profile and dramatically change the lives of young people in our area.

We are launching the 100 in 100 apprenticeship challenge, a 14-week campaign asking businesses, large and small, to employ 100 apprentices in 100 days.

We know that unemployment among the young is at a record level and there are thousands of young people who are desperate to start work. There are also scores of firms which need apprentices.

Our campaign aims to bring these two groups together, tying up potential apprentices with potential employers.

The Government recently announced it is spending another £150 million on its apprenticeships programme and that tackling youth unemployment is high on its agenda.

Our 100 in 100 campaign is a collaborative partnership between Newsquest and the National Apprenticeship Service and is high on the agenda of both local and national government.

The in-paper and online initiative will feature a mix of advertising, interviews, case studies and editorial coverage on training providers, companies and of course, local apprentices.

Beginning in June it has been timed to coincide with the start of the new academic year, September 2011-2012.