The Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) is becoming a fertile ground of innovations, technological inventions and skills development in Ethiopia. The development of the TVET sector and its contribution in the skills development and technology transfer is growing rapidly thanks to the Ethiopian government’s attention devoted to transforming the sector.
Following the policy and structural measures applied by the government to make the TVET center of excellence in skills and technological developments, the TVET industry is showing dramatic developments both in size and quality. In addition to producing skilled and professional human resource for various sectors, professionals from the TVET education are coming up with new ideas and inventing problem solving products.
Recently, the Addis Ababa City Administration Labor and Skills Bureau has organized a City-wide TVET Exhibition week at the Exhibition Center here in the capital under the theme “TVET for Sustainable Development.” Parallel to the exhibition that displayed various innovations and technological products produced by students and TVET trainers from various different TVET centers in the city, a panel discussion was held targeting on the development and future prospects of the TVET industry.
During the panel discussion, Ministry of Labor and Skills (MoLS) State Minister Teshale Berecha (PhD) stated that the Ethiopian Government is taking commendable reforms on policies and frameworks and incorporated vocational training in the curriculum. So far, the policy and structural reforms are registering remarkable outcomes both in developing the sector and attracting the attention of the youth generation. Hundreds of thousands are joining to the TVET education.
Currently, Ethiopia has over 1,500 TVET institutions across the country with more than 30,000 teachers. These centers are providing outcome-based training and learning services. As these centers are providing both theoretical and practical trainings, the centers are producing skilled and outcome oriented human power in the country. As we look to the future, it is exciting to see what other ingenious gadgets and devices will emerge to continue enhancing home life and empowering the disabled community, making a significant difference in the lives of many. The potential to improve quality of life is immense, and these innovators are leading the change.
Habtamu Abera is among young Ethiopians graduated from TVET. Habtamu joined the TVET education to realize his childhood dream of innovating and producing new products as he was practicing making and maintaining gadgets since his early childhood. He attended his school in extension program as he was working at garage during the working hours. He spent over 15 years employed in a garage where he worked most of the time in an automotive garage. Currently, he has established his own company HBM and produced a luxury automobile, HBM Luxury Automobile.
Habtamu presented his locally produced luxury automobile at the 14th City-wide Technical and Vocational Education and Training Exhibition. The automobile attracts the attention of all visitors, including Ethiopian Press Agency’s journalists. While this journalist entered into the exhibition center, an orange color automobile was displayed immediately at the entrance and a lot of people surrounded the automobile to see the ‘Made in Ethiopia’ luxury automobile. Habtamu also briefed the visitors about his product.
While this journalist saw the automobile, he assumed that the luxury automobile was an imported one as it proved nothing short of Lamborghini automobile. However, the journalists learnt that it was locally produced and Habtamu was explaining about the ‘Made in Ethiopia’ luxury automobile. After a while, Ethiopian Press Agency (EPA) journalists sat with Habtamu and asked him about his luxury automobile and his next plans.
Habtamu said innovation has been his lifelong hobby. He has been interested in fixing, maintaining and producing gadgets since his childhood and later, he started working at an automotive garage which helped him to develop his knowledge of vehicles and the spare parts early. Later, he joined TVET education parallel to his work and he joined Automotive Department during his TVET class. Habtamu Abera has been working in a car garage while pursuing his study at night in a TVET college. After finishing school in a competency-based training, he has worked in the automotive industry for 15 years, which enabled him to develop his skill in the field.
He expressed that he is always ardent to know and discover something new. “It is easy to innovate if we have the enthusiasm to learn and know new things.” Habtamu’s growing interest and understanding in mechanical engineering, enthused him to read and learn more about car making on the internet.
The thorough reading, learning and exploring things pertaining to the automotive industry has helped Habtamu to develop basic understanding about car making and which stimulated him to make his own car through trial and error.
Influenced and shaped by his profession and his experience, Habtamu was eager to create and produce new things. Through this way, he developed his knowledge and skills in the automotive industry and started thinking to produce his own model vehicle by his himself. Finally, two years ago, Habtamu started to produce a luxury automobile at his company. Then, after two years, he realized his vision of manufacturing his own designed modern and luxury automobile. To produce the automobile, HBM Company used only engine from imported goods while other parts of the automobile were manufactured and assembled at HBM.
“We used only engine from import. The other part of the automobile its body including the light was designed and produced locally,” Habtamu stated. HBM Automotive Company, a company established by Habtamu years ago, manufactured HBM Automobile. Habtamu initiated the idea and he designed the model of the automobile and manufactured it at his own company. As to him, he initiated the idea of designing and producing a luxury vehicle influenced and initiated by his profession and the skills he developed both during his TVET education and his long years of experience at a garage.
Habtamu has built the luxury car contemplating about the international brand luxury car models such as Lamborghini, Ferrari and other luxury automobiles. To prepare spare parts and to assemble the luxury car, it took Habtamu to two years. He invested three million birr to manufacture the vehicle and he stated that Bole Manufacturing College has helped him in supplying components of the car.
Habtamu’s next plan is to manufacture the automobile for market consumption and he said that his company has a plan of manufacturing ten vehicles within a year. He noted that such types of automobiles are expensive and luxury which are used by celebrities in the developed world and he is dreaming of producing Ethiopian model luxury automobiles to be driven in Ethiopian cities.
As to him, the luxury model vehicles cost more than 250 million USD which makes expensive to accommodate to import these vehicles. But, Habtamu’s plan is to produce luxury cars at home and to provide to the market with cheaper price compared to these luxury cars. He is enthusiastic to supply more Ethiopian branded luxurious and weather friendly automobiles to Ethiopia and African market in the coming years.
BY DARGIE KAHSAY
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 5 JULY 2024
