EXTRA help to tackle the crisis of youth unemployment - amid the gloom of a record one-in-five young people out of work - will be announced by David Cameron today.

The prime minister will reveal that businesses have agreed to offer 250,000 more apprenticeships over the next four years and 100,000 work placements by 2013.

He will praise the 100 large companies, and "tens of thousands" of small companies around the country, that have responded to the government's call to step forward.

They include well-known names such as Tesco, KFC, IBM, ASDA, Siemens, Orange, McDonalds, Marks and Spencer and BT, Mr Cameron will say.

The prime minister, appearing at an event alongside his Liberal Democrat deputy, Nick Clegg, will also pledge £60m to: * Extra places in a new job scheme for vulnerable 18-year-olds, who are struggling to make the transition from education to work.

* More support at job centres for 16 and 17-year-olds who are 'NEET' (not in education, employment or training).

And he will say: "This is about more than getting our economy back on track. It's about more than improving the jobless numbers - it's about changing people's lives.

"It's time to reverse the trend of rising youth unemployment that has held back our country for far too long and help our young people get the jobs on which their future - and ours - depends.

"But government can't act alone. We need employers who are prepared to give young people a go."

The initiative follows growing fears of a "lost generation", with the jobless total for 16 to 24-year-olds standing at 963,000, or 20.4 per cent of the total number of youngsters.

In the North-East, 26,565 young people - or one in ten - are claiming benefits, but the true number not in work is likely to be more than double that total.

The coalition government was fiercely criticised for axing Labour's Future Jobs Fund (FJF), which delivered cash to find jobs for 3,000 18 to 24-year-olds across the North-East and North Yorkshire.

It's replacement - the privately-run 'Work Programme' - will not get underway until next month and will offer fewer overall places than previous job schemes.