ABOUT SIWES
The student’s Industrial Work Experience Schemes (SIWE) is a skill acquisition program designed for the tertiary institution as a complementary programme for the theoretical education and laboratory services, which are insufficient to serve the practical needs of the industries. Experts also being of the view that there is a yearning gap between the learning acquired and the skill application required in the work place, which will make one effective and productive. Therefore, a worker must not only be knowledgeable, but must also be versatile in the application of skill required to perform defined jobs and work. The requirement is particularly for graduate of sciences, engineering, agriculture and technology based discipline.
In order to redress this gap between the skill repertoire possessed by Nigerian graduates and the relevant production and practical skills required by employers, the federal government of Nigeria initiated in 1973/74, what is now as student’s industrial work experience scheme.
HISTORY OF SIWES
SIWES came into existence as result of complaints from employers about the practical deficiencies of graduate of the nation’s higher institutions. The industrial training fund (ITF) body established by the federal government which engages in the training of technical manpower, under took to make-up for the deficiencies of structuring and establishing student’s industrial training (SIT) as it was then called in 1973/74. The scheme being single handedly funded by ITF became a problem at the rapid increase in the number of higher institution and also in the number of participating students. By 1979, the management of the scheme was passed on to the National University Commission (NUC).
However, in 1984, it was returned once more to the ITF which has continued to manage it till now with the burden of funding resting on the federal government.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF SIWES
The aims for establishing the students industrial work experience scheme (SIWES) as listed by industrial training (ITF) include;