SIWEs unit

Dr. Jimjel G. Wycliffe

Coordinator, SIWES

INTRODUCTION

The Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) is a skills training programme designed to expose and prepare students of higher institutions for the industrial work situation they are likely to meet after graduation. The scheme which was incepted by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) in 1973 when it was operating as a category “B” Parastatal, headed by a Secretary, affords students the opportunity of familiarizing and exposing themselves to the needed experience that can bridge the gap between theory and practice among the products of tertiary institutions in handling equipment and machinery that are usually not available in their institutions.
The increasing number of students, made the administration enormous and hence the withdrawal of ITF from handling the scheme became obvious in 1978. The Federal Government in 1979 handed over the scheme to both the National University Commission (NUC) and the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE). At that time, Colleges of Education (CE) were not part of the scheme. In 1984, the Federal Government reverted back the management of the scheme to ITF under category “A” parastatal with a Director General as Chief Executive. In 1985 to date, the ITF took over the mantle of leadership of the scheme, while funding is by the Federal Government.

MISSION STATEMENT
To set and control standards of excellence, effectiveness and offer direct training of Professionals, technicians, technologists and entrepreneurs to meet the human resource needs for rapid industrialization and sustainable economic development of Nigeria, by using best of breed training techniques and modern technology to produce highly motivated and competent products.

VISION STATEMENT
To be the foremost human resource development institution in providing dynamic, need-based knowledge and quality-driven intervention for industrial skills development in Nigeria and one of the best in the World.

PHILOSOPHY
            The Unit believes in the provision of highly qualitative service delivery through:

  1. Highly prepared students that can deliver quality service to the assigned organizations.
  2. Maintenance of very strong interface with competitive demands at the national and global economy.
  3. Maintenance of best practices to ensure that government’s best intentions for development is achieved in propelling the country into an industrial nation.
  4. Advancing the development of well motivated high caliber of graduands for the services of the nation.

GENERAL OBJECTIVE OF SIWES IN NIGERIA
The main objective of the SIWES is to promote and encourage the acquisition of skills in industry and commerce with a view to generating a pool of well trained manpower sufficient to meet the needs of the country. It is designed to expose and prepare students for real-life work situation they would meet after graduation. It is an instrument for industrialization and economic development as it has the potential to induce scientific and technological productivity on students’ know-how which ordinarily are not available for use in tertiary institutions. In fact, it makes the transitions from school to labour market easier and enhances students’ job placement. Hence, students who passed through the SIWES scheme have the potential to be more skillful and competent engineers, technologists, and scientists, and are easily and readily employable by industry or become a self-employed.
For the above general objective to be obtained, students must be branded appropriately to acquire the desired skills. Hence, the specific objectives include:
i).        Provide an avenue for students to acquire industrial skills and experience.
ii).       Prepare students for the Industrial Work situation they are likely to meet after graduation.
iii).      Expose students to work methods and techniques in handling equipment and machinery that may not be available in the University.
iv).      Make transition from school to the world of work easier and enhance students contracts for later job placement.
v).       Provide students with an opportunity to apply their knowledge in real work situations thereby bridging the gap between theory and practice.
vi).      Enlist and strengthen employers’ involvement in the entire educational process and prepare students for employment in industry and commerce.

FUNCTIONS OF THE UNIVERSITY SIWES UNIT
            Specifically, the Unit is saddled with the following responsibilities:

  1. Organize regular orientation programme in collaboration with the ITF Zonal Office, Yola for both staff on IT supervision and students.
  2. Prepare master and placement lists of IT students for processing by the NUC and ITF Headquarters, Jos.
  3. Prepare schedule and ensure the visitation of staff on supervision to students on attachment assigned to them.
  4. Attend to staff and students with difficulties during IT attachment.
  5. Ensure regular Departmental Coordinators’/SIWES Committee meetings.
  6. Ensure regular attendance to the quarterly Zonal SIWES Coordinators’ meetings.
  7. Ensure the process of staff and students e-payments of allowances.
  8. Ensure Students return their log-books and forms 8 for onward submission to the Zonal Area Office, Yola.
  9. Fostering closer links between the University and industries and
  10. Other related issues.