European Journal of Social Sciences Volume 7, Number 3 (2009)

Appraisal of Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (Siwes) in Five Tertiary Institutions in Rivers State Nigeria
S. W. Wodi Department of Science and Technical Education, Faculty of Technical and Science Education Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Nkpolu, Port Harcourt Dokubo. A Department of Science and Technical Education, Faculty of Technical and Science Education Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Nkpolu, Port Harcourt Abstract This study evaluates the extent to which the agencies involved in the operation and management of SIWES function to achieve the objectives of the programme. In all, 240 students, 18 staff from Rivers State Polytechnic Bori, Federal Government College of Education Technical Omoku, Rivers State College of Education Rumuolumini Port Harcourt, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Nkpolu Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt and University of Port Harcourt randomly selected from 5 institutions involved in SIWES in Rivers State, in addition to 2 staff of ITF from Area Office Port Harcourt were involved. Two sets of 25 item questionnaires for the students supervisors/staff, on the extent of their involvement in SIWES were used for data collection. The four point modified likert scale and mean percentages were used to analyse the data. Lack of adequate supervision, non signing of necessary materials like ITF Form 8 and students log-books at their places of attachment, difficulties of students in getting placement, unnecessary delay in the payment of students and supervisors allowance among other were areas of weaknesses revealed. Recommendations given for improvement include among others: the visitation of ITF officers to other bodies involved including the students on attachment; and Federal Government to sanction in accordance with Decree No. 47 section 7A (1) B and (2), any Ministry, Company or parastatals that fail to offer students placement for purposes of acquiring practical experience should be blacklisted and penalized heavily by the government, while tax holiday should be given to companies/establishment that comply.

Introduction
The governments decree No. 47 of 8th Oct; 1971 as amended in 1990, highlighted the capacity building of human resources in industry, commerce and government through training and retraining of workers in order to effectively provide the much needed high quality goods and services in a dynamic economy as ours (Jemerigb, 2003). This decree led to the establishment of Industrial Training Fund (ITF) in 1973/1974. The growing concern among our industrialists that graduates of our institutions of Higher learning, lack adequate practical background studies preparatory for employment in industries, led to the formation of students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) by ITF in 1993/1994 (Information and Guideline for SIWES, 2002). ITF has as one of its key functions; (1) to work as cooperative entity with industry and commerce where students in institutions of higher learning can undertake mid-career work experience attachment in industries which are compatible with students area of study (Okorie 2002, in Asikadi 2003). 42

European Journal of Social Sciences Volume 7, Number 3 (2009) The students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) is a skill Training programme designed to expose and prepare students of Agriculture, Engineering, Technology, Environmental, Science, Medical Sciences and pure and applied science for the Industrial work situation which they likely to meet after graduation. Duration of SIWES is four months in Polytechnics at the end of NDI, four months in College of Education at the end of NCE II and six months in the Universities at the end of 300 or 400 or 500 levels depending on the discipline (Information and Guideline for SIWES, 2002).

Objectives of SIWES
The objectives of SIWES among others includes to: Provide an avenue for students in institutions of higher learning to acquire industrial skills and experience in their approved course of study; Prepare students for the industrial works situation which they are likely to meet after graduation. Expose students to work methods and techniques in handling equipment and machinery not available in their institutions. Provide students with an opportunity to apply their knowledge in real work situation thereby bridging the gap between theory and practices. Enlist and strengthen employers involvement in the entire educational process and prepare students for employment in Industry and Commerce (Information and Guideline for SIWES, 2002).

Bodies Involved in the Management of SIWES

The bodies involved are: Federal Government, Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Other Supervising Agencies are: National University Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), & National Council for Colleges of Education (NCCE). The functions of these agencies above include among others to: Ensure adequate funding of the scheme; Establish SIWES and accredit SIWES unit in the approved institutions; Formulate policies ad guideline for participating bodies and institutions as well as appointing SIWES coordinators and supporting staff; Supervise students at their places of attachment and sign their log-book and ITF Forms; Vet and process students log-books and forward same to ITF Area office; Ensure payment of Allowances for the students and supervisors. Therefore the success or otherwise of the SIWES depends on the efficiency of the Ministries, ITF, Institutions, Employers of labour and the general public involved in articulation and management of the programme. Thus the evaluation of SIWES in tertiary institutions in meeting up with the needs for the establishment of the programme is necessary.

Statement of the Problem

How efficient is the management of the SIWES in meeting up with the needs of the programme? The purpose of this research is to find out: Whether coordinating units are established in the institutions selected and if, they are functioning well. Whether the employers accept all the students for industrial attachment as stipulated in ITF Degree No. 47 as amended 1990. How often the supervision staff of ITF visit the students on attachment; 43

European Journal of Social Sciences Volume 7, Number 3 (2009) Whether students involved are given orientation course prior to their attachment; and How often allowances are being paid to the students and supervisors.

Research Methodology
Population for this study was made up of students and staff from disciplines and institutions involved in SIWES in Rivers State. Sample consist of 240 students and 18 staff from 5 institutions namely Rivers State Polytechnic Bori, Federal Government College of Education Technical Omoku, Rivers State College of Education Rumuolumini-Port Harcourt, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Nkpolu Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, and University of Port Harcourt was randomly selected from 5 institutions participating in SIWES. In addition, 2 professional staff of ITF from Area Office in Port Harcourt was involved. Two sets of 15 item questionnaires were used for data collection. The questionnaires were validated. 225 (94%) out 240 students questionnaires and 18 (90%) out of 20 staffs/supervisors questionnaires administered were returned. The data collected was analyzed using mean percentages. A four point likert scale was used; the weighed mean of 2.50 and above was used as the criteria cut off point for the level of agreement. Research Questions 1. To what extent are students in the sampled institutions made to be aware of the aims and objectives of SIWES? 2. To what extent have students benefited from the SIWES programme? 3. To what extent are the factors relating to work and training do prevent the students from benefiting maximally from the programme? Hypotheses 1. There are no significant differences between the responses of Federal Students and their state Counterparts with regard to the objectives of SIWES. 2. There are no significant differences between the responses of Federal Institutions, Students and their State Counterparts with regard to factors relating to work and training that inhibit optimum benefits by students.

Result of Data Analysis and Discussion

From table 1 below: Frequency, percentage and mean distribution of the rating of the students level of agreement on the items evaluation of the industrial work Experience in Rives State.

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Table 1:

Frequency, percentage and mean distribution of the rating of the students level of agreement on the items evaluation of the industrial work Experience in Rives State.
SD 6 39 62 0 113 141 90 23 56 23 90 6 0 163 90 DA 68 90 180 11 101 202 214 45 169 34 236 0 12 112 225 A 405 287 231 304 152 34 78 219 186 270 33 219 204 51 69 SA 315 338 23 495 180 23 112 450 248 404 0 720 696 0 0 Total 794 754 586 810 546 400 494 737 659 731 356 945 912 326 384 %A 91 83 59 99 61 14 38 91 66 92 9 99 99 16 18 %DA 9 17 41 1 39 86 62 9 34 8 91 1 1 84 82 Mean 3.53 2.96 2.60 3.60 2.43 1.80 1.19 3.28 3.00 3.30 1.60 4.20 4.05 1.45 1.71

S/N 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

Item The instruction received in school was related to the practices in industry. The equipment trained with in school were a replica of the ones found in industry. The school personal attitude to work compared favourably with that of personnel in industry. The management of the firm was very receptive. The contact had with industrial personnel was more with top personnel. You were visited 2-3 times by aThe cooperation of industrial staff was cordial. The acceptability experience as encouraging. Working with people in structural setting is alright with me. Working under strict supervision is OK with me. The quality of work exposed to was high I have love for routine and uninterrupted tasks. I have initiative and independent work. I cherish recognition for job well done. The duration of stay in particular work station was satisfactory. My impressions of the industry were in consonance with my experience in industry.

From table 1 above, the mean score of 3.35 (91%) was obtained for item 1 which shows that functional SIWES unit exist in all the selected institutions for study. The mean scores of 2.60 (59%) for item 3 shows that almost half the number of the students involved in SIWES found it difficult to get a place of attachment with their employers. The low mean score of 2.43, 1.80, 1.19, 1.60, 145 and 1.71 obtained for items number 5,6,7,11,14 and 15 respectively shows that most ITF officers/supervisors from schools do not visit students on attachment at least 2 times before the duration. Moreover, they do not sign students logbook at their place of attachment (item 7). ITF do not provide students on attachment with insurance cover (item 11) and even those who have completed their attachment are not being paid allowances within the actual period of 4 or 6 months (see item 15). The above discussions are based on the fact that the individual measure in each item is below 2.50 (i.e. cut off point for the level of agreement). The mean score of 2.96 with 17% disagreement for item 2 shows that some institutions do not often organize orientation programme for the students prior to their attachment.

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Table 2: Frequency, percentage and mean distribution of the rating of the efficiency of the supervisor/staff involved in SIWES towards the success of the programme.
Item You visit your students on attachment 2 4 times before the duration. SIWES gave me a good opportunity of relating my theoretical knowledge to practice. Much of what I learned in theory became real when I saw them in practice in industry. I learned about the latest developments in my course through SIWES. The time I spent in industry was especially valuable for learning how a firm works. SIWES added a good deal to my scientific knowledge. My period of IT was valuable in giving me an idea of industrial management. The time I spent in industry was an unwelcome distraction from my studies. I forgot a great deal of what I had learned before. I was given helpful instructions about the work I did. I received very good guidance for the work I did. The time I spent in industry could have been more useful spent doing academic work. SIWES enhanced my ability to tackle technical problems. Your regularly attend biannual SIWES National Conference and Workshops. SD 0 0 0 11 0 12 0 9 11 0 0 0 6 0 DA 0 0 0 4 0 26 0 16 14 0 16 20 20 8 A 39 30 42 9 39 24 42 3 0 45 12 12 3 36 SA 12 20 16 12 20 0 24 0 0 12 8 8 0 12 Total 51 50 58 36 59 62 66 28 25 57 36 40 29 56 %A 100 100 100 58 100 39 100 11 0 100 56 50 10 86 %DA 0 0 0 42 0 61 0 89 100 0 44 50 90 14 Mean 2.82 2.80 3.22 2.00 3.27 3.44 3.70 1.60 1.38 3.16 2.00 2.22 1.61 3.11

S/N 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

From table 2 above, the 100 percent level of agreement with just a little above average mean of 2.82 and 2.80 for item 1 and 2 respectively shows that most ITF offices/other staff involved do not visit their students on attachment at least 2 times before the duration as indicated in the students response. The low mean rating of 2.00, 160, 1.38, 2.00 and 1.61 obtain for items 4, 8,9,11 and 13 respectively show that: All the students involved in SIWES are not being accepted for industrial attachment; employers do not provide students with welfare services; ITF do not provide insurance cover for students on attachment; most institutions do not send master and placement form on the expected date through the supervising agencies; and the students allowances are not being paid within the expected time. Among the reasons stated by few staff for not attending biennial National Conference and Workshops was lack of information about the conference especially the dates. Research Question 1 To what extent are students in the sampled institutions made to be aware of the aims and objectives of SIWES? Certain statements relating to the objectives of SIWES were stated in the questionnaire to which the respondents were to express their assessment of the extent to which the objectives were being achieved. In doing so, the respondents were revealing their degree of awareness of these objectives; thus the mean responses which is 3.00 imply Awareness or Agree, while less than 3.00 imply being unaware or disagree. The table above shows that both students in the Federal and States Institutions were aware of the objectives of SIWES which covers educational, personality and social development judged by their 46

European Journal of Social Sciences Volume 7, Number 3 (2009) mean responses. Their high degree of awareness gives credence to the work of Derrick (1969) who postulated that students though of their industrial training under four perspectives; securing of professional recognition, social, skills, enhancement of personality and acquiring of status and money. Items 3, 5, 6 and 8 received the greatest degree of awareness. These are issues relating to theory and practices, opportunity to discover the type of work one is most suited for, and acquiring insight into the attitude of working in industry. These four items are closely related in which one leads to the other. The expression of awareness by the students could be explained by the normal orientation lectures given to participants before the commencement of the industrial training and the references often made by instructors to the periods of the exercise as opportunities to concretize theory with practice. For students to be adequately prepared to meet social challenges of working in industry, they should have a practical knowledge of the attitude of workmen in industrial setting. Curacy (1976) found out that the contemporary workers do not often loose their jobs because of incompetence in terms of use of skill, but because they fail to become team players or get along with others. Research Question 2 To what extent have students benefited from the SIWES programme? The students responses to the questionnaire dealing with the achievement of the objectives of SIWES as set in the table above provide answers to this question. The mean responses of students on the extent of the attainment of the objectives form the basis of this discussion. Their mean responses on item 2 and 3 where they stated that much of what they learned in theory became more real when they saw them in practice, and the experience made more meaning to their theoretical knowledge indicate that the objectives of SIWES relating to theory and practice, as a major issue of emphasis, received the highest degree of awareness. This is understandable because it is the vehicle that enables participants to apply what they have learned in the classroom; hence both groups affirmed that the time spent in industry for the scheme was not a waste (item 8). With mean responses of 1.60, 1.38 and, 1.6 respectively (table 2, item 8, 9 and 13), the students reinforced the above views by disagreeing (to a little extent) with the statement that the time spent in industry was an unwelcome distraction from their studies or that they forgot a great deal of what they had learned in the school during the industrial training exercise. Research Question 3 To what extent are the factors relating to work and training do prevent the students from benefiting maximally from the programme? The first set of questions (table 4, items 1-15) were designed to get responses on the factors which will help participants benefit from the programme, while the second set (item 16 to 25) were on the usefulness of those factors. The mean responses to items 2 and 16 show that instruction they received in school was related to the practice in industry and therefore useful during the attachment. The above finding is in conformity with the views of Prosser (1929) who posited that technical training will be useful only when the instruction given to students are related to, or the same with those found in industry. The mean responses to items 2 & 3, however show that the school equipment were not a true replica of those in industry; hence they did not prove useful during the industrial training. Of importance is their affirmation in item 4 that management of these firms is found receptive, even when initially they were reluctant to accept students on placement. This is a welcome development. The organization stands to gain because it affords its access to new ideas and additional insight from outside which will enable them do self-examination. The high mean responses in table 2 (items 6 & 22) on the cooperation of industry staff, particularly skilled suggest that students were willing to learn and that industry staff apparently did not perceive them as threat. Their satisfaction with the quality of work exposed to, and the length of the period of attachment were evidenced by the high mean scores of 4.09 and 3. 72 for items 24 and 25. This confirms the generally held view that skill acquisition or training is a relatively slow process that 47

European Journal of Social Sciences Volume 7, Number 3 (2009) requires time; and that there is no short cut to permanent acquisition to technical skill than to allot sufficient time for practice. Hypothesis 1 There are no significant differences between the responses of Federal Students and their state Counterparts with regard to the objectives of SIWES.
Table 3: Chi-Square Analysis showing the Federal Institutions and their State Counterpart to the Objectives of SIWES
SD 508 298 806 DA 460 268 728 A 417 278 695 SA 173 79 252 NA 15 26 41 Total 1573 946 2519

Institutions State institutions Federal institution Total

Table 4:

Calculation of Chi-Square
O 508 460 417 173 15 295 268 278 79 26 E 501.4 454.6 481.0 157.4 25.6 301.6 273.4 261 94.6 15.4 O-E 6.6 5.4 -14 15.6 -10.6 -6.6 -5.4 17 -15.6 10.6 (O-E)2 43.6 29.2 196.0 243. 112.4 43.6 29.2 289.0 243.4 112.4 (O-E)2/E 0.087 0.064 0.455 1.546 4.389 0.144 0.107 1.107 2.573 7.296 17.768

From the Table, X20.05.4 = 9.488.

The computed Chi-square of 17.77 is greater than the table value of 9.49 which stood at 0.5, level of significance. The above null hypothesis is rejected. Therefore the alternative hypothesis which states that there is a significant difference between the responses of Federal and State Institutions students with regard to the objectives of SIWES is accepted. The difference in awareness may be traced to the location of the institutions and the degree of information received by the population. While the state and Federal Institutions sampled are not all located in the major urban centres with access to important information and industrial establishment, hence, both institutions have different levels of awareness to the objectives of SIWES; as found in the analysis of the mean response in the research questions. Hypothesis 2 There are no significant differences between the responses of Federal Institutions Students and their State Counterparts with regard to factors relating to work and training that inhibit optimum benefits by students.
Table 5: Chi-Square Analysis showing State and Federal Institutions Responses to Factors of Work and Training
SD 689 410 1099 DA 988 663 1651 A 907 670 1577 SA 464 295 759 NA 205 112 317 Total 3253 2150 5403

Institutions State institutions Federal institution Total

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Table 6: Calculation of Chi-Square
O 689 988 907 464 205 410 663 670 295 112
From Table, X2 0.5,4 = 9.488

E 661.7 994.0 949.5 457.0 190.9 437.3 657.0 627.5 302.0 126.0

O-E 27.3 -6.0 -42.5 7.0 14.1 -27.3 6.0 42.5 -70 -14.1

(O-E)2 745.3 36.0 1806.3 49.0 198.8 745.3 36.0 1806.3 49.0 198.8

(O-E)2/E 1.126 0.036 1.902 0.107 1.041 1.704 0.55 2.879 0.162 1.577 10.589

The computed chi-square value is 10.59; which is greater than table value of 9.49 at 0.5, level of significance. The above null hypothesis is rejected. Therefore, the alternative hypothesis is accepted. The difference in the mean responses of the State Institutions sampled compared with their Federal Counterpart sample may be attributed to the relatively new state of the latter compared with the former which have more infrastructural facilities and equipment for instructions. Observation of the mean responses on item 2 (Table 4) of the questionnaires which compared the relevance of the equipment in the school to that of industry shows that the mean responses of the State Institutions were higher which gives credence to the above findings. The location of these institutions, the quality of staff, method of implementation of the scheme, and staff motivation may be contributory factors to the difference in the mean response of both groups.

Results and Discussions

This study indicates that majority of the students taking part in the Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) are aware of the objectives for which it was established, primarily on issues of relating theory to practice. They were usually eager to take part in the scheme; many consider their experience and time spent in the training as rewarding. Much of what they learned in theory became more real when they themselves practice it. SIWES could therefore be seen as a tool for bringing harmony in technical/vocational education. However, this study reveals that school equipment were not found replicating those in the industry and that the school personnel attitude to work does not compare favourably with that of personnel in industry. A situation where school workshop and laboratory equipment are ill-maintained or not replaced for years with modern outfit does not augur well for the development of technical vocational education. To improve on the implementation of the scheme, the institutions should be helped by governments and industrialists to sufficiently equip their laboratories and workshop to reach minimum international standard.

Conclusion
Solving the problem of skill acquisition by graduates of Nigerian Technical/Vocational Education is a reason for the establishment of SIWES. It was planned to be a bridge between educational institutions and industrial employers with the latter providing general and specific occupational skills and knowledge. This research indicates that the SIWES objectives are being achieved, although there are some constrains such as lack of industrial type equipment. However, if the scheme is not adequately implemented, it becomes difficult for graduates of the system to secure employment in the occupations or make a smooth transition from school to work. 49

European Journal of Social Sciences Volume 7, Number 3 (2009) Incompetence in workplace is related to the kind or quality of training in the school. To improve on the schemes implementation, students should be placed in industries relevant to their fields of study. There is need for greater cooperation between industries and educational institutions on how best to implement the SIWES programme. It can thus be concluded that in spite of apparent economic difficulties, the SIWES in Nigerian Institutions are attaining its objectives; and that industrial experience in real setting is very necessary if the attainment of SIWES objectives will be fully realized because it offers the students leaning experiences which cannot be directly gained in the class room. Therefore, in order to evaluate or measure the outcome of SIWES; at the planning stage, it must be clearly stated what constitutes an acceptable work experience for every course or trade. The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) should as a matter of fact annually publish their review and study of the progress of SIWES. Such studies may use opinion polls of parents, employers, students and graduates. The school workshops and laboratories should be well-equipped with similar industrial outfits to provide good background for successful industrial experience. Furthermore, Industrial and Business Organizations (with more than 25 employees as stipulated in Section 6 of Decree No.47 of 1971) should be statutorily required to pay at least 10% of annual profits to ITF to improve its financial position. For effective supervision of the programme, qualified Full-time Coordinators with good public relations skill should be employed by the institutions. This will improve the degree of cooperation between Industries and Schools.

Recommendations
The operation of SIWES lies on the proper supervision. Thus, it becomes necessary that something must be done at the operational level to enhance adequate functioning of the programme. In line with these findings, the following recommendation area made: 1. ITF should ensure the regular visitation of the ITF officers to Supervising Agencies Institutions, Employers and students on attachment. 2. The log-book issued to students at attachment by institutions must be checked and signed by the institutions and ITF Supervisors responsible during supervision not in their offices at the end of attachment. 3. All the institutions involved should be organizing orientation courses in collaboration with the ITF for their students prior to their attachment with the attendance made mandatory for the students accepted for SIWES and ITF staff. 4. The training department of ITF should be providing adequate information about the biennial SIWES National Conference and Workshops on time. 5. Federal Government should refer to Decree No. 47 section 7A (1) (b); section 7A (2) and fine any Ministry, Company or parastatal that fail to offer students places for the attachment. 6. ITF should be providing insurance cover to students on attachment and improve on paying students and supervisors allowances for motivation. 7. Both SIWES co-ordinators, ITF agencies, and Area office should institute their machinery to quicken the vetting of students log-books. 8. The Banks should speed up their action the clearing of cheques issued to avoid unnecessary delay. 9. Students on attachment must carefully record all training activities and other assignments in the log-book daily, complete ITF Form 8 and submit them to ensure proper assessment which is used in payment of their allowances.

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References
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