As far as I'm concerned, as a former businessperson, your greatest resource is the people who work with you and for you. I just wonder if that is some of the problem. Maybe the business community needs to look at their employees as an investment for the long-term sustainability of their business. They might not see instant profit from that apprentice to start with, but in time they are going to see that profit.
Is there any effort to educate business people to that mentality? I'm sure you try to communicate that all the time.