Tre Azam, who came close to clinching the top spot in the third series of The Apprentice, visited Gosport on Wednesday, giving a motivational speech to around 300 businessmen, students and schoolchildren.

The gathering was a 'farewell party' for the Education Business Partnership's Impact Project, which has promoted enterprise culture to Gosport's schoolchildren and young people aged between nine and 19 since October 2005.

Education project manager Lyn Wakeford has taken their message to three secondary schools, plus a primary school, two junior schools, and St Vincent's College, but its £750,000 funding has now run its course.

The all-day event was split into two parts, hosting 150 Gosport businessmen at midday, followed by 150 students from across the borough later in the afternoon.

Despite finding fame on the hit BBC show, Mr Azam told the assembled youngsters the path to success did not lie with becoming famous for its own sake, but came with hard work and determination.

He told BusinessWeek: 'I'm a firm believer you should do something you love. I was pushed towards IT by my family, but wanted to do something I was passionate about, which is what I tell kids now. Pick your own direction and run for it.

'The most important thing is to have goals and a positive mental attitude. You can't say anyone could set up a business. Most of it is down to good decision-making, hard work, and planning, and those are the lessons I've learnt.'

The EBP's Impact Project has now wound up, but Ms Wakeford said with more funding it could one day rise again – and branch out nationwide.

She said: 'It seems like just yesterday it was starting. I do love working with young people, because they just soak everything up like a sponge.

'Brockhurst County Junior school has a lovely quadrant garden, and we got the whole school to work as a team designing a garden with the help of a local construction company, and now they're growing their own veg.

'They might not all go on to become garden designers, but projects like this give them the confidence to work on other things.'