The creation of more than 21,000 new apprenticeships in hospitals, schools and town halls has been hailed by ministers meeting in Southampton.

The announcement comes on the latest series of “away days” that have seen ministers meet in Leeds, Birmingham and Liverpool.

The apprenticeships include an extra 5,000 positions in the NHS, 7,500 positions in local government and 4,500 in schools and children’s services.

In addition, Sir Alan Sugar, the Amstrad boss and famed for his “your fired” catchphrase on the television program The Apprentice will also front a new television campaign designed to promote apprenticeships.

Skills secretary John Denham and children’s secretary Ed Balls made the announcement to coincide with the second reading of the apprenticeships, skills, children and learners bill.

Mr Denham said: “The public sector places we are talking about today are great news for those looking for an apprenticeship but also represent the government’s commitment to leading by example, encouraging businesses to take on apprentices and help ensure we have the highly skilled workforce the UK needs to stay competitive through the downturn and when the upturn comes.”

The Conservatives yesterday warned that the government was going to miss its targets on apprenticeships by a very long way.

The government planned to have 130,000 apprenticeship completions by the end of 2010/11 but shadow skills secretary, David Willets, said at the present rate that target would not be reached until 2029/30, 19 years after the government’s target date.

Meanwhile, local Southampton MP Sandra Gidley, criticised the move by the Cabinet to hold its meeting in the city as nothing more than an empty gesture.

She said: “Whilst of course Cabinet ministers should visit Southampton more often, I can see little benefit in having them all descend on the city at once.

“They have a very busy agenda and will not be able to give their full attention to local problems.

“Lord Mandelson is certainly notable by his absence. With many local businesses facing hard times and Ford struggling to keep the wheels turning, it would have been appropriate for the business secretary to have been here today.

“What bigger indication do we need that this is nothing more than an expensive PR stunt – an empty gesture by a vacuous Cabinet?”