At 16, Selathorai was forced to quit school as his parents were too poor. He worked at various jobs before joining SMOE, an engineering and construction company. He has been with the company for the last 33 years.

After getting married, he realised that with his limited education, he was not earning enough to support his wife and young child. That was when he made up his mind to upgrade his skills. And he has not looked back since.

To fund his studies, Selathorai worked overtime and even took on a second job as a security guard in the evening. The skills he learnt have helped him stay relevant in his job.

The far-sighted father of two is also taking WDA’s guard and patrol services course, and has armed himself with IT skills, which he believes would come in handy when he retires.

According to Selathorai, upgrading one’s skill is like upgrading a computer. “No one wants an outdated computer,” he added.