KUALA LUMPUR: Opportunities don’t usually come knocking at the door when you live in a small village away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Throw low income into the equation and there is every possibility that you will “miss the boat”, so to speak.

This was the prospect facing Mohd Nor Shafiq Hadi Misro had he not chanced upon the Tunnelling Training Academy (TTA) that was recruiting Malaysian youths for the MRT project poised to be the backbone of urban rail travel in the country.