22-year-old Heemuhails from an extremely poor family of Rainawari, a small hamlet in Srinagar (Jammu & Kashmir). Heemu's father, an illiterate carpenter, toils hard at his profession but cannot provide enough for the family of five (wife and three daughters).  Heemu’s elder sister dropped out from school after 12^th standard due to financial problem. Though keen to be well educated, Heemu had to quit studies after graduation, as there was no money in the family to afford his fees. As things stood, she was the most educated person in her entire family, and the first to be a graduate.

“I was always on the lookout for an employment opportunity, so that I could supplement my family’s income, and also my sister could continue her study without interruption for money, who is now studying in the 10^th standard,” says Heemu. She tried few odd jobs after her graduation but due to lack of skills she was offered very meager salary which was just equalizing her transportation and food expenses. She was eager to accumulate some money for computer training. One fine day, her grandfather informed about the skill development training by DB Tech. He advised Heemu to enroll in it, learn some livelihood skills and try for a job. After the ‘Interest Inventory’ check, her trainers counselled her to take up a course in Hospitality.

The first question that strikes her mind was the course fee for which she gave up her education. But fortunately Govt. of India’s such programs not only give them a push for realize their dreams but also improve their family’s financial condition. Rediscovering her joy in learning, Heemu worked hard during the three-month course and passed out as one of the brightest students of her batch.

On completion of the course, she got a job offer in Mobineers, a reputed company, with a handsome starting salary of Rs 4500 pm plus incentives. Heemu never touched computer before joining BASE. Besides the domain specific skills, she was imparted a fair knowledge about computer skills, which helped her now in the workplace. Heemu shares, “The training I received also greatly improved my communication skills and personality development. It also taught me some very essential life skills and infused new confidence in me.” In her first salary, she gave a treat to her grandfather as a credit to her success.