A CRICKET club boss will draw inspiration from his own “humble beginnings” after being selected to head up a taskforce to boost apprenticeships.

Sussex County Cricket Club chief executive Zac Toumazi has been unveiled as the chairman of the new Employer Skills Task Force – a joint project between the Brighton and Hove City council and businesses aiming to create thousands of high-quality apprenticeships.

The “forward-thinking, unrestricted and creative” taskforce will involve other leading city business figures despite conceding that the cricket club “hasn’t done enough” with apprentices.

Proposals being considered include a new apprentice training company to assist small and micro-firms with taking on apprentices including handling their administration.

Apprenticeship starts in the city have hit an "unacceptable" five-year-low and lag well behind similarly-sized Sunderland and Coventry.

The cricket boss admitted the club “haven't done enough” with apprentices.

Mr Toumazi grew up on the Peabody Trust estate in Elephant and Castle to Greek Cypriot immigrants.

His father came to England with £10 in his pocket and had to work three jobs to make ends meet.

Mr Toumazi studied catering at technical college before becoming a chef for 14 years, then switching to investment banking and later into the world of cricket as Hampshire's commercial director before becoming Sussex CCC chief executive in January 2013.

He said: “I feel very strongly about this subject because of my own background from humble beginnings, I never went to university or anything like that.

“In the early part of my life I was told I wasn’t good enough when I felt very strongly that I could make something of my life.

“It is something myself and my fellow taskforce members all really care about and we are now in a position to make a difference.”

As well as boosting apprenticeship numbers and lowering the number of youngsters receiving jobseeker's allowance (JSA), he will work within the education system to prepare pupils for the world of work.

The group will report its findings in the New Year.

Speaking about the cricket club’s own apprenticeship record, he added: “We haven’t done enough.

“It is something we believe in and this is something we will be part of.

“But it is not driven by Sussex CCC, it is something that is chaired by someone who happens to be employed by Sussex CCC.”