Meet the girls that will be competing in the 2012 series of the Young Apprentice on the BBC. This year the series return to our screens on Thursday 1st November at 8.00pm on BBC One

As in previous series the girls are selected from around the country with different level of business and marketing experiences, and once again they will compete along with the boys for the £25,000 investment fund from Lord Sugar to fund their business venture.

Name: Alice Smith

Age: 17
Occupation: Studying for A Levels in English Literature, Philosophy and Drama

Lives: Lutterworth, Leicestershire

Farmer’s daughter Alice earns an income by locally selling free-range eggs from the chickens on her farm, as well as waitressing and working in a golf shop. She is Junior Captain of her local golf club and is a huge fan of rugby team Leicester Tigers. Her main passion is performing arts and she also enjoys debating and travelling. Her aim is to promote awareness of the medical condition endometriosis, from which she suffers.

Name: Amy Corrigan

Age: 17
Occupation: Studying for A Levels in Media and Double Business

Lives: West Hampstead, London
Amy, whose first job was working in a fish and chip shop, currently earns an income waitressing in a local café. Amy enjoys running and playing football, and used to play rugby for Croydon Hurricanes U13. She is a huge fan of Zac Efron and admires David Beckham for his hard work and dedication to sport. She would love to travel around the world and one day aims to own a nightclub in London.

Name: Ashleigh Porter-Exley

Age: 17
Occupation: Studying for NVQ Level 2 in Business & Admin and taking evening Accountancy course

Lives: Swinton, South Yorkshire
Fun-loving Ashleigh has been in employment since she was 13. She now works two jobs as well as studying at college and taking an evening accountancy course. In her spare time Ashleigh enjoys dancing and going to gigs. She is inspired by Vivienne Westwood for her creativity. Her aim is to prove to kids that you can achieve your dreams if you fight hard enough and believes that there has never been a candidate like her on Young Apprentice.

Name: Lucy Beauvallet

Age: 16
Occupation: Studying for A Levels in French, Economics, Maths, English and Philosophy

Lives: Brighton, East Sussex
Paris-born Lucy runs her own cake business and has a passion for baking. Lucy is bilingual and enjoys organising events and projects. She loves running, trampolining and playing tennis. Her role models are the founders of Innocent Smoothies for taking a leap of faith and never compromising their beliefs. Lucy aims to become an extremely successful businesswoman and wants to study law.

Name: Maria Doran

Age: 17

Occupation: Studying for A Levels in Business Studies, Drama and Politics

Lives: Belfast, Northern Ireland
Bubbly Northern Irish candidate Maria earns an income working in her father’s hotel and selling designer goods on the internet. She has a passion for the theatre and music, and teaches herself piano accompaniments to popular songs. When she is not brainstorming ideas for new TV shows she is reading the latest political news, doing charity work, or shopping. She is inspired by the brand TOMS and believes that her future is unlimited.

Name: Navdeep Bual

Age: 17
Occupation: Studying for A Levels in Biology, Philosophy, Chemistry, Maths and Politics

Lives: Ilford, Essex
Former Head Girl Navdeep is a keen sportswoman and budding politician. She was the UK’s Young Ambassador for the Global Campaign for Education, which led to her meeting Gordon Brown, and frequently attends Model United Nations debates. Navdeep has also received the Diana Award for contribution to community. She sees herself as the future of business in the UK and her ultimate aim is to work for the UN.