Fee-Free TAFE Automotive graduate gets his business up and running

TasTAFE graduate Binod Shrestha and his Jim's Mobile Tyres van.

TasTAFE graduate Binod Shrestha completed his Certificate II in Automotive Vocational Preparation in late 2024 – and has since become Tasmania’s first franchisee for Jim's Mobile Tyres.

Binod has always been interested in mechanics. Before he and his family arrived in Australia from Nepal in 2017 – landing in Melbourne initially, before relocating to Hobart in 2020 – Binod owned a motorcycle workshop in his hometown of Pokhara.

“Every house in Nepal has at least 1 motorcycle,” Binod said, “– it’s the main transportation over there. It depends on the family members, but some houses have 3 or 4.”

Binod knew how to run a motorcycle garage, but his experience with cars, vans, trucks and other vehicles was limited.

“Before I did TasTAFE, I was working in a warehouse,” Binod said. “I knew how to put a jack under a car…but TasTAFE changed my direction and my knowledge and my confidence. And I decided, ‘OK, I can do the franchise now.’”

Binod completed his Certificate II in Automotive Vocational Preparation via Fee-Free TAFE, studying at the Bridgewater Trade Training Centre.

Binod appreciated his teachers’ practical approach to teaching.

“If I got stuck or had some questions, they would say, ‘Let’s go to the car. This is the thing you are asking about, and these are the things you need to do.’

“We opened a whole engine, then we put it back together again. That’s a great way to learn – hands-on, all the time. It was really practical,” Binod said.

Now, as a franchisee of Jim’s Mobile Tyres, Binod drives all around Hobart – from the Huon Valley to New Norfolk to Sorell and beyond – helping motorists fix their punctures, rotate and balance tyres, and fit new tyres to get them back on the road.

His van is essentially a mobile tyre workshop – a colourful Alladin’s Cave of tools and machinery, including a generator, compressor, wheel balancer and tyre changer.

Binod and his family are enjoying life in Tasmania, as part of Hobart’s large Nepalese expat community: “Hobart really looks like my hometown Pokhara – which has a big lake and big mountains. It feels like home now,” he said.

After his TasTAFE Graduation Ceremony in Hobart on 11 September, Binod was upbeat.

“It was exciting! Definitely a big achievement. We celebrated with our families and our teachers, everyone – all the happy faces, with their own achievements. It was great,” Binod said.

“We are all achieving and learning something in our lives – we feel like we are doing something good. We enjoyed the ceremony, definitely.”

Congratulations on your TasTAFE Graduation, Binod, and on successfully launching your business.

Next time we have a flat tyre, we’ll know who to call!

Top: Binod Shrestha gives us a tour of his Jim's Mobile Tyres van.

Bottom: Binod and family celebrate at his TasTAFE Graduation Ceremony in Hobart on 11 September.