CHAPTER
ONE
1.0
INTRODUCTION
The
student industrial work experience scheme (SIWES) is a skill acquisition
programme designed for the tertiary institutions as a complementary programme
to the theoretical education, laboratory and workshop practices engaged in by students
in the tertiary institutions, which by industrial standards are inadequate to
serve the practical needs of the industries.
Students are exposed to industrial
work situation they are likely to meet after graduation. The practices are to idealistic and therefore
necessitate that the students be exposed to actual life practice, which is a
far departure from academic instructional, laboratory and workshop
practices. The scheme also afford the
student the opportunity to familiarize, expose to the needed experience in
handling equipment and machineries that are not available in their
institutions.
Before
the establishment of the scheme, it was a great concern that the industrialist
and graduate of higher institutions lacked adequate practical background
studies preparatory in employment in the industries. Thus, the theoretical
education was not responsive to the need of the employer of labour.
It
is against this background that the rationale for initiating and designing the
scheme by industrial training fund during the formative year of 1973/74 was
introduced to acquaint the students with the skills of handling the employer’s
equipment and machinery.
The
ITF has accepted the challenges to bridge the gap between theory and practice. The SIWES programme was effectively taken over
by the ITF in 1985 with funding being solely born by the federal government.
1.1.OBJECTIVES
OF THE STUDENT INDUSTRIAL WORK EXPERIENCE SCHEME
The
main objective of the SIWES is to ensure that students of tertiary
institutions in Science and technology-based
disciplines are made to acquire sufficient practical knowledge so that when
they get employed after graduation they become immediately productive with
little or no further training in their fields of specialization.
The aims and objectives
of SIWES are spelt out below to ascertain the reason for which it was
instituted.
Ø It’s
an opportunity for students to understand the technicalities and realities used
in the business world that relate to their various field of study thus exposing
them to practical and advanced level of learning.
Ø Its
helps to build better professional personnel in all fields.
Ø The
scheme provides the opportunity of being familiarized and exposed to the mode
of work, handling of relevant machinery and equipments available in their
discipline.
Ø Its
gives students the opportunity to relate with their immediate and experienced
professionals in their field of study.
Ø The
scheme improves the technical know –how of students in the tertiary
institutions.
Ø Relatively,
it provides a means of communication between the industrialized sector and the
potential workers.
1.1.1 THE ROLE OF STUDENTS INDUSTRIAL WORK
EXPERIENCE SCHEME TO STUDENTS
The
role of the programme is that, most schools in the country are not
technologically equipped; they do not have plants and machineries which
students need to be exposed to during their training period, therefore SIWES
stands as a medium of taking care of these lapses. The programme will expose students to all
part of the plants and machineries which they have been taught theoretically in
their institutions. Also, the successful
operations of the SIWES provide an opportunity for the government to reduce the
importation of expatriate Engineers, Technologist and other Professional
Personnel.
Another
role of the scheme is that many students have been gainfully employed through
this method as students with exceptional good skills and experience could be
recalled to take on employment through the scheme which in turn reduces the
number of unemployed graduates in the country.
Like
earlier mentioned above, it provides opportunity for students to improve their
skills, for instance the students will have the opportunity to handle the tools
and equipment which they have no or little access to while in school which
eventually improve their skills.
It’s
an opportunity for students to be in direct contact with junior, immediate and
senior professional staff in the industry- train students on how to behave to their co-workers, like
some students who do not know how to approach or speak to elders, this training
is designed to teach students how to talk to elders, how to address workers
both skilled and unskilled.
The
programme plays a good role in the sense that it enables students to develop
critical and realistic approach to equipments and machineries in a company, the
rules and regulations guiding the machineries and it also teaches on the safety
of environmental conditions and how to make use of the materials; such as:
·
Safety Boot
·
Had Had (helmet)
·
Hand Gloves
·
Nose Covers
·
Safety Googles
·
Rain Coats etc
1.2
THE EXPOSURE OF STUDENTS DURING THE TRAINING
The
exposure of students during the training is unlimited; students are exposed to
many things which are summarized thus;
·
Preparation of laboratory samples
(concrete cubes and slump test)
·
The construction process involved in the
case of framed structures
·
Collection of data (concrete reports and
daily activities on site)
·
Handling of equipment such as leveling
instrument, plum, tape, blue lines, builder’s square, and concrete mixer etc.
·
Interpretation of working drawings i.e
surveying plan, architectural drawing, structural drawings, bill of quantities,
mechanical and electrical drawings etc.
·
Office, practices, design and
administration etc.
In
view of this, for me to achieve what is listed above, I was attached to Arfo
Construction Company Nigeria Limited at No. 17, Area 8, Abeokuta Street, Garki,
Abuja for the period of six months.
During my training period, I was exposed to two major construction
buildings namely; Federal Character Commission Office Complex in Minna and the
Nigerian Air Force Staff Quarters (18 units of 1bedroom flats) also in Minna,
Niger State. The two construction projects
were carried out simultaneously and I was shuttling the both projects at
critical stages of the projects to enable me acquire the much needed knowledge and
thus this report will cover mainly the work witnessed.
Visit www.researchshelf.com
for complete project materials, project topics, past examination questions and
answers, assignments, research proposals,
meet fellow students online, meet with lecturers and ask for help, read
and post news (Campus News). Registration is Free Of Charge (FOC).
Note also that
our mobile app will soon be launched where you can download it and view all the
above features on your mobile devices.
No comments:
Post a Comment