REPORT ON THE STUDENTS’ INDUSTRIAL WORK EXPERIENCE SCHEME

(SIWES)

BY

MAIRABO SAMSON ZANGSON

MATRIC NO: 1820306106

SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS, FACULTY OF

SCIENCE, USMANU DANFODIO UNIVERSITY SOKOTO IN PARTIAL
FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF BACHELOR
DEGREE OF SCIENCE IN MATHEMATICS

DECEMBER, 2021
Background of the Institution

The place of my SIWES was federal Co-operative College Kaduna. The institution is lies on

longitude 7.41650 𝐸 and latitude 10.51050 𝑁 and is located close to Abuja Junction along Kaduna-

Abuja road. The federal Co-operative College Kaduna was established by administrative

pronouncement of the Federal Military government in 1976 but it took off in 1079 for the purpose

of providing the much needed manpower in the co-operative sub-sector economy. The college took

off at a temporary site located at the Educational Resource Center (E.R.C.) Gaskiya road Zaria

Kaduna state.

The federal Co-operative College Kaduna was established as an in service training institution for

the cooperative stakeholders and the staff government department responsible for the supervision

of the cooperative societies and cooperative department in Nigeria and cooperative societies.

This college was established to cater for the growing need of cooperative education in the north.

It started with courses leading to the award of Certificate in cooperative studies. The Diploma in

cooperative studies programme was later introduced to meet the high demand for the cooperative

education in the north. Each of these courses runs for one academic year.

Most recently, at the beginning of the 1998/1999 academic year, the college introduced the

National Diploma Programme (ND) in cooperative Economics and Management. This is a two

year programme (four semester), leading to the award of National Diploma in cooperative

Economics and Management. In order to ensure the recognition of the certificates being awarded

by the college, the National Board for Technical Education (NTBE) has accredited the National

Diploma Programmes with effect from 2004/2005 academic session.

The Higher National Diploma (HND) programme in cooperative Economics and Management was

introduced and accredited in 2008, it is a two year (four semesters) programme.

Apart from the regular courses the college also runs short courses, workshops, consultancy services

and seminars for officers and Board members of the cooperative societies and other interested in

the curriculum.

Vision Statement

To be the prime Skills Training Development Organization in Nigeria and one of the best in the

world.

Mission Statement

To set and regulate standards and offer direct training intervention in industrial and commercial

skills training and development, using a corps of highly competent professional staff, modern

techniques and technology.

Organogram for the College

Government Management
committee

Academic Board

Provost

Deputy Provost Registrar

HOD Prof Dip HODS ND Programmes Students’ records Exams officers Admin Officers

Sport officer Students’ affairs Work and services Library Bursary

SUG Hostel Acquisition Technical services Account Stores Budget

Objectives & Scope of SIWES in Nigeria

 Provides the avenue for students in institutions of higher learning to acquire industrial skills

and experiences in their course of study.

 Prepare the students for the industrial work situation they’re likely to meet after graduation.

 Expose students to work method and techniques in handling equipment and machinery that

may not be available in their institutions.

 Make the transition from school to the world of work easier and enhance students contact

for later job placement.

  Provides students with an opportunity to apply their knowledge in real work situations

thereby bridging the gap between theory and practice.

 Enlist and strengthens employers involvement in the entire educational process and prepare

students for employment after graduation.

Justification for choice of institution

Theoretical knowledge alone would not usually prepare and prepare an educated person for the

world of work. The worker or productive individual must not only be knowledgeable but also be

versatile in the application of skills to perform defined jobs or work. Both education and training

are important; there cannot be effective education without some training input and there cannot be

effective training without some educational input. The productive individual, particularly in this

millennium, must be able to combine and utilize the outcomes from the two forms of learning

(Know-How Ability and Do-How Capability) for production of goods and services which is crucial

in pursuing careers in science, engineering and technology (SET) disciplines.

Concept of SIWES

The Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES), also known as Industrial Training is a

compulsory skills training programme designed to expose and prepare students of Nigerian

Universities, Polytechnics, Colleges of Education, Colleges of Technology and Colleges of

Agriculture, Cooperative schools, for the industrial work situation they are likely to meet after

graduation (Ekpenyong, 2011).

The scheme also affords students the opportunity of familiarizing and exposing themselves to the

needed experience in handling equipment and machinery that are usually not available in their

institution. Before the establishment of the scheme, there was a growing concern among

industrialists, that graduates of institutions of higher learning lacked adequate practical

background studies preparatory for employment in industries. Thus, employers were of the opinion

that the theoretical education in higher institutions wasn’t responsive to the needs of the employers

of labour. The Industrial Training Fund (I.T.F) solely funded the scheme during its formative

years. However, due to financial constraints, the fund withdrew from the scheme in 1978 (Craig,

1987).

The students SIWES program is a skill acquisition designed for all 300 and 400 level students of

most tertiary institutions as a complementary program to the theoretical education and laboratory

practices engaged in by students in tertiary institutions, which by industrial standard are inadequate

to serve the practical needs of the industries. The practices are idealistic and therefore necessitated

that the student be exposed to actual life practice, which is a far departure from academic

institutional class and laboratory practice. The official gazette of the federal republic of Nigeria

made it clear tghat the supreme military council then headed by General Yakubu Gowan in the

1972 promulgated decree No. 47 to indigenize the Nigerian economic sector. On the 31 st of march

1974, the decree came to effect with its core aim of reducing the dominance of foreigners in the

Nigerian economy, and accompanied by a systematic integration of localy oriented skilled

manpower into the economy. The indigenization decree established many bodies which were

charged with different responsibilities to make the nations dream a reality. Among them include:

i. Industrial training fund (ITF)

 ii. Center for management development (CMD)

iii. Administrative staff college of Nigeria (ASCON)

The industrial training fund was charged with the responsibility of training low and middle level

man power for sustainable industrialization. However, when the federal government observed that

the training of students who are still in schools would be easier and cheaper, and that such training

would make them more competent to assume any responsibility to their related field of study, a

scheme known as students’ industrial work experience scheme was established under ITF. The

body was mandated to liase with all the relevant agencies like NUC, NBTE to ensure proper

training of undergraduate students.

Experience Gained

I was posted to one of the offices under the Deputy Provost where I gained many experiences as

follows:

 Arrangement of students files and records base on their course of study and year of

admission.

 Collation of semester results according to their program

 Results computation through the use of simple statistical tool such as mean to find the GPA

and the CGPA as the case may be.

 On several occasions, I was directed to dispatch files and letters to departments and offices

 I equally served in the ICT unit where results were being entered in a computer. The results

score were entered and the software automatically grade it.

RECOMMENDATION

In view of the relevance of the SIWES program, it is important that it is sustained by the

government through the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) as it exposes the student to work tools,

facilities, and equipment that may not be available in their respective institutions in relation to their

course of study. To this end, I recommend that the following under-listed points should be

implemented:

i. Students’ Industrial Works Experience Scheme (SIWES) needs to be strengthened by all

concerned stakeholder in order for its objectives to be fully realized.

ii. Regular monthly allowances for students on attachment should be paid promptly.

iii. Organizations should always accept students for SIWES and subsequently assign them to

relevant jobs.

iv. Experience staff should always be made to train the students on attachment

v. There should be more funding of the scheme by the government in order for it to be more

effective.

vi. The companies should put in place all the necessary facilities needed to enhance the

knowledge of the student in industrial attachment.

vii. It will be of great benefit if the institution can create a platform whereby student can obtain

presiwes knowledge or excursion programs, before student embark for general 6 months

industrial training programme.

REFERENCES

 Craig, R. L. (1987). Training and development handbook: A guide to human resource

development (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

 Loading for buildings. (1997). London: British Standards Institution.

 Ekpenyong, L.E. (2011). Foundations of Technical and Vocational Education: Evolution and

Practice for Nigerian Students in TVE and Adult Education, Policy Makers &

Practitioners.