FACTORS MILITATING AGAINST STUDENTS PARTICIPATION IN SIWES IN COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, EKIADOLOR-BENIN

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

The students industrial work experience scheme (SIWES) is an industrial training fund (ITF programme. It is a skilled training scheme which is of great relevance to vocational and technical education students. The SIWES is designed to expose students to relevant industrial work situation, which they are likely to meet aer their graduation. The scheme is also designed to expose students to work method and needed experience in handling equipment and machinery that are not usually available in educational training fund (ITF) Act of 1971, and later Decree No. 47 of 1971, which was later amended in 1990, gave rise to the beginning of the scheme. The scheme has expanded in scope and content over the years. Initially, only students of Technical College and Polytechnics were involved later students from the University and Advance Teacher College (ATC), College of Education (COE) and National Universities Commission (NUC) are made to participate. At present, many students of various departments in the school of vocational and technical education (College of Education), benefit from the programme, these include students in Accounting Secretarial, Home Economics, Agricultural Science, etc. an ITF survey in 1974 showed a great disparity between students knowledge and their ability to apply it in relevant jobs. The result of this survey led to the establishment of SIWES programme with eleven institutions, involving seven hundred and eighty four students. During the first period of its operations in 1974-1978, the ITF solely funded the scheme but due to huge financial involvement when the participating institutions rose to 32 with 4,714 students in 1978, it found it difficult to continue.

As a result of this development, the Federal Government was involved in the funding of the scheme for five years from 1979-1984 through the national Universities commission (NUC) who cater for University students and the National Board for Technical education (NBTE) who is responsible for the Polytechnics and Colleges of Technology (Galadimwa, 1977). NBTE also caters for Colleges of Education who oer courses in vocational and technical education areas. According to the presentation by the collaborating agencies (NUC & NBTE) at ITF 1990, there are forty-eight (48) eligible courses for SIWES. These include University Degree Programme, Engineering and Technology, National diploma and NCE Programme. The objectives of SIWEs are to: 1. Prepare students for the work situation they are to meet after graduation. 2. Provide an avenue for students in institutions of higher learning to acquire industrial skill. 3. Expose students to work methods and techniques in handling equipment and machinery that may not be available in educational institutions. 4. Provide students with the opportunity to apply their knowledge in real work situation thereby bridging the gap between college work and actual practical. 5. Enhance students contact for later job placement. SIWES programme generally ranges from two (2) months to one year of industrial attachment. During this period, the ITF institutions employers as well as students have their roles to play. The ITF is responsible for the organization of conferences and seminars on SIWES-informing the students about what they are expected to do so as to prepare them for industrial training. They are also to send supervisors on surprise visit to assess and grade students’ performance. The employers are expected to accept students and assign them to relevant work, attach experienced staff of students for effective training and supervision. The students are expected to be punctual at the place of attachment. They are to comply to employers’ rules and regulations and keep records of training activities and other assignments.

1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

It has been observed that many students on SIWES are not given sufficient opportunity to handle equipments and machineries during the period of attachment. Even when experienced sta to which they are attached gives them job to do and customers see students handling their jobs, they oen quarrel and refuse to accept “students job” and want the experienced sta to do it. Employers are also very careful to safeguard equipment and machineries from possible damage by inexperienced hands. It has become very important that students’ participation in SIWES programme need to learn fast enough to complete given jobs satisfactorily, that is the only way they are likely to get more jobs from the experienced sta to which they are attached. Some firms lack facilities that will enhance the experience of students in their area of study.

Students serving in such firms are at a disadvantage professionally in the area of study for example, an engineer that is attached to do clerical jobs or as a receptionist, such as attachment will not further his engineering experiences. The study will try to answer the following questions: i. What are student’s attitudes towards this programme? ii. Is there any relationship between work done during the programme and school work? iii. Are there adequate facilities in the establishment where these students carryout their programme? iv. Are the students allowed to use the equipment? v. Apart from being helping hands, have students made any academic impact towards improving the work process in the establishment they are attached? vi. Does the programme influence student’s performance?