Priyanka Nervankar, who has just passed HSC, said she would be scared of talking to strangers. “Today I can talk confidently to anyone. I was always interested in computers but never thought of a job,” said the teenager, who joins Landmark next week.

Aruna Ranawade (29) too was low on confidence. She has passed HSC but could never speak English; now she manages broken phrases. “My family has six people and two, including my husband, are the breadwinners. Now I too can pool in some money,” said the Malad Kasambaug resident, shortlisted as a salesperson for Reliance.

The BMC started the training centre at Andheri. It had carried out a job mapping survey to identify which sectors needed hands. It tied up with Dr Reddy’s Foundation for IT-enabled services and training in basic English and personality development. A tie-up with the Confederation of Indian Industry helped guarantee jobs.