STUDENT-TEACHER’S ASSESSMENT OF SIWES PROGRAMME IN AGEGE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF LAGOS STATE

Department: Education

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ABSTRACT


The Students’ Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) is a planned and supervised training intervention based on stated and specific learning and career objectives. It is geared towards developing the occupational competencies of the participants. It is a programme required to be undertaken by the students of tertiary institutions in Nigeria pursuing courses in “Specialized Engineering, Technical, Business, Applied Sciences and Applied Arts”. It is an accepted skill training programme initiated by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) to bridge the perceived gap between theory and practice. Hence, it prepares students for work outside the four walls of their institutions with a view to developing a well-skilled and articulated knowledge, to benefit the students and create a self-reliant economy.
As good and innovative as the programme is, it is bedeviled with several problems which have hampered it from attaining its set objectives. It is against this backdrop that the research was carried out to know how Student-Teachers assess the programme based on its stated objectives.
The survey research method was used and the research instrument was a 22-item questionnaire containing closed - ended questions as well as open- ended questions structured to answer all the research questions in the study. The questions were properly fashioned to really ascertain the true opinions of students on the Student- Teachers- Assessment of SIWES programme. The population of study was the entire 300 level to 500 level faculty of education part time students of Lagos State University from which a sample of forty (40) students was drawn from Business Education and Economic Education student.
Data collected were manually coded; percentages and tables were used to analyze them. The study found out that SIWES is still a relevant practice in all field of studies because it enables students to demonstrate the rhetorical aspect of whatever the students have learnt under the classroom setting. It was also discovered that prompt payment of students’ allowance and regular supervision of students will ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of the programme to meet the manpower development drive of the country.
The researcher recommended that SIWES students should be given orientation as to the importance of the Programme; assignment to be given during the training should be relevant to student’s field of study. The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) should increase the token given to student –teachers, putting the economy situation into consideration and should try to pay students on monthly basis so as to motivate them to participate in the programme.

CHAPTER 1


CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Training is a key factor in enhancing the efficiency and expertise of the workforce. The Students’ Industrial Work Experience (SIWES) program prepares students for labour markets. It has become an innovative phenomenon in human resources development and training in Nigeria. According to (ITF, 2004a), The Students’ Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) is a planned and supervised training intervention based on stated and specific learning and career objectives. It is geared towards developing the occupational competencies of the participants. It is a programme required to be undertaken by the students of tertiary institutions in Nigeria pursuing courses in “Specialized Engineering, Technical, Business, Applied Sciences and Applied Arts”.
Mafe (2010) opined that: “SIWES is generic cutting across over 60 programmes in the Universities, over 40 programmes in the Polytechnics and about 10 programmes in the Colleges of Education. Thus, SIWES is not specific to any one course of study or discipline”. He added that the effectiveness of SIWES cannot be looked at in isolation with respect to a single discipline; it is better explored in a holistic manner since many of the attributes, positive outcomes and challenges associated with effective implementation of SIWES are common to all disciplines participating in the scheme for students and teachers respectively.
The Students’ Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) was founded in 1973 by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF). The aim of the scheme was to expose students to the industrial environment and enable them develop occupational competencies so that they can readily contribute their quota to the development of national economic and technological growth after graduation.
The participation in SIWES has become a necessary pre-condition for the award of Diploma and Degree Certificates in specific disciplines in most institutions of higher learning in the country, in accordance with the education policy of government.
The Students’ Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) can be rightly described as Nigeria’s practical training support for classroom lectures and tutorials. In other words, it’s an accepted skill training programme initiated by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF). SIWES bridges the perceived gap between theory and practice in Accounting, Engineering, Technology, Science, Agriculture, Medical Sciences, Management and other professional educational programmes in Nigerian tertiary institutions.
The main focus of the scheme is to involve employers in the educational process of preparing students for work outside the four walls of their institutions with a view to developing a well-skilled and articulated knowledge, to benefit the students and create a self-reliant economy.
1.2 INDUSTRIAL TRAINING FUND (ITF)
According to ITF training Policy, The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) was set up under Act No. 47 of 1971 (as amended up to date) to promote and to encourage the "acquisition of skills in industry and commerce with a view to generating a pool of indigenous trained manpower sufficient to meet the needs of the economy". To finance the scheme, the Act provides for contributions on the part of employers and for subventions on the part of the Federal Government. The Federal Government made available the sum of N1,000,000.00 (£500,000) during the Plan Period 1970-74 as takeoff grant.
The Industrial Training Fund (ITF), the manpower development agency of the federal government was established to impart technical skills to those employed in the manufacturing sector and other sectors of the economy.
The Mission Statement of the ITF, the provision of decree 47 of 8th October, 1971 empowers the ITF to “promote and encourage the acquisition of skills in the industry and commerce with a view to generating a pool of indigenous trained manpower sufficient to meet the needs of the Nigerian economy”.
In pursuant to its statutory responsibility, the ITF has expanded its structures, developed training programmes, reviewed its strategies, operations and services in order to meet the expanding, and changing demands for skilled manpower in the economy. Beginning as a parastatal “B” in 1971, headed by a Director, the ITF became a parastatal “A” in 1981 with the Director-General” as the Chief Executive under the aegis of the Ministry of Industry.

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