The Prime Minister has announced the creation of 10,000 "skilled internships" in small and micro businesses to help university graduates find work amid the recession-triggered crisis in the jobs market.
The internships will be offered in partnership with the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), Gordon Brown told Labour's conference.
He said: "Our guarantee to all young people is that, with millions of new opportunities from apprenticeships to internships to a new class of modern technicians, we will discover, coach, develop and showcase the wealth of aspiration and talent that exists in Britain."
Additionally, up to 10,000 "green" job placements will be offered in partnership with organisations such as the Eden Project, Mr Brown announced.
FSB chairman John Wright said the move was "a real victory" for the federation as well as for small businesses across the country.
He added: "This will help those graduates leaving university at a time when the job market is sluggish at best - they will get real work experience and develop real skills.
"Small firms will benefit from the skills of this workforce, which they traditionally find harder to recruit. Research from previous schemes shows that one in four graduates are also offered full-time employment in the business at the end of their placement."
