Busy day at the Skills Show for Theo Paphitis with visit to the hairdressers and the kitchen — and even the operating table

Skills Show patron Theo Paphitis had a busy day in the hair salon today under the watchful eye of celebrity hairdresser Nicky Clarke and was also put to work in the kitchen knocking out some delicious pasta — he even tried his hand at an operating table.
Paphitis and Randall

The former BBC Dragons’ Den star took part in a masterclass with the hairdresser to the stars and also former WorldSkills UK competitor Eleni Constantinou, whose efforts in Sao Paulo, Brazil, this summer earned her a medallion of excellence.

After 20 minutes with the scissors, Theo was off to learn to learn some tricks of the restaurant trade as he made tagliatelle with renowned London chef Theo Randall at the University College Birmingham demonstration kitchen.

And the challenges didn’t stop there on day two of the Skills Show at Birmingham’s NEC as he visited the Operating Theatre Live stand and later jokingly tweeted: “Would you trust this man with a scalpel??”

But he managed to take a few moments out of his busy crash course schedule of careers guidance to sing the praises of the Skills Show and urged young people and business to get involved.

“Get yourself down here — it’s th most amazing inspirational event where you’ve got hundreds of employers, hundreds of opportunities to try things and hundreds of careers that you probably didn’t even know existed,” he said.

“If you want to be inspired about your future or are wondering ‘what am I going to do with my future’, then get down to the Skills Show. You might just see the beginning of a great career path.”

20.11.15 - Birmingham. Theo Paphitis enjoying a lesson in hairdressing from celebrity hairstylist Nicky Clarke on The Street Spotlight Stage during his visit to the Skills Show 2015, held at the NEC, Birmingham. Photo: Professional Images/@ProfImages
From left: Eleni Constantinou, hairdresser model, Theo Paphitis and Nicky Clarke

He added: “And businesses should get involved with the Skills Show because this is their opportunity to inspire the next generation into their world; into the skills shortage that we know exists in our businesses and you can actually make a difference and possibly find the next generation that’s going to make your business grow.”

Tomorrow marks the last day of the Skills Show, which enjoyed a visit from Business Secretary Sajid Javid yesterday.

He said: “For everyone that’s come along — everyone that’s made this happen — thank you for what you’ve done.

“This is going to be a huge experience for so many young people. It’s going to be inspiring to them all, and I wish you all the very best.”

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