Employers including Accenture, Yell.com and St Tropez are sending teams of staff to take part in an entrepreneurial challenge to raise money to help unemployed young people into business.

The Million Makers scheme run by The Princes Trust, challenges teams of staff to run their own lucrative mini-businesses, to raise funds for the charity.

Julian Barell, director of fundraising at the Princes Trust, said: "With Britain's best business brains behind us, we can help more young people into business. Nurturing entrepreneurial talent is now more important than ever.

"We cannot let the Sir Alan Sugars of tomorrow be thwarted by recession."

And Stuart Watson, a partner at Ernst and Young, which is participating in the initiative, added: "The Million Makers challenge provides personal development opportunities for our people including increased self confidence and motivation, developed communication and teaming skills and networking opportunities."

The event kicked off with a team-building event at Go Ape High Wire Forest Adventures, across the UK.