Riya Kumari works on a sewing machine at Raymond Tailoring Institute in Patna on Friday. Telegraph picture

Twenty-one students of Raymond Tailoring Institute’s first batch will soon fly off to Bangalore to pursue a dream career.

Khajanchi Road resident Swati Kumari (18) is one of the passouts who will go to Bangalore on April 14.

Promised of a job at the time of starting the course, she has bagged a job with Celebrations Apparel Limited in the southern city.

“When I joined the institute I was promised a job. But I never thought that it will happen so early and within a month of the convocation, I got the offer letter from the company along with a very good salary,” said Swati.

Eighty-one students from underprivileged sections of society were imparted year-long training at the Raymond institute on the premises of Industrial Training Institute, Digha. All of them have been placed in different business networks of Raymond, including custom tailoring wing of its retail shops and multi-brand outlets in Patna and Gurgaon, after their convocation last month.

Swati, an Intermediate passout from Arya Kanya High School, said: “I am happy that I have made my family proud. My father (Sunil Prasad) was unable to pay my school fees because of financial constraints. But now he does not need to think about me because I have got the job. Now I will send money to my family.”

Twenty-four-year-old Riya Kumari, daughter of a small farmer from Buxar district, is also happy to leave for Bangalore for her dream job. “If I had not joined the institute, I do not know what I would have been doing now.

“The company has provided us a good platform. I would earn good money now, which will improve my social and economic status. The year-long course has also groomed my personality and my confidence level has increased. Ten years down the line, I want to see myself at the top of the tailoring industry,” she added,

Raymond inaugurated its first training centre in May 2012 where the students were trained in stitching suits, shirts and trousers.

Raymond vice-president Ram Bhatnagar, the brains behind the initiative, told The Telegraph over phone from Mumbai: “It is a unique initiative started by the company and I believe that we will able to maintain it in future too. Now we are planning to open similar institutes in Bhagalpur, Katihar, Muzaffarpur and have met the district magistrates concerned on this matter.”