The Nation Newspaper

Tag: SIWES

  • ITF seeks support for SIWES

    The Director-General, Industrial Training Fund  (ITF), Joseph Ari has urged stakeholders and well meaning Nigerians to support the effort of the organisation towards the sustainance of the Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) for the benefit of the nation.

    Ari made this appeal at the 13th SIWES Biennial Conference in Abuja, stating that the programme is very relevant to the nation. The scheme has succeeded in establishing a closer collaboration between institutions and industries, a factor essential for preparing young people for the world work, he added.

    Ari said: “The scheme also prepares students to fit in readily in employment in public and private sectors of the economy. SIWES has consequently reduced the need for the employment of expatriate in the field of engineering, technology and other professional areas. The scheme has recorded significant success and ITF has remained passionately committed to its sustainance.

    “Over the years, the relevance of the operational framework of the scheme diminished by a myriad of challenges. This framework needs to be re-visited by all stakeholders to ensure continuous improvement. Issues to be addressed by the biennial conference include stakeholders engagement engagement to sensitise the public on the relevance of SIWES to national growth and development.

    “Stakeholders meeting to resolve some of the thorny issues associated with the scheme. Close collaboration with NECA to support industries through re-tooling of facilities of NECA member organisations, as part of effort to revive ailing industries in the economy and the e-payment of SIWES allowance.

    “However not much has been achieved with regards to funding, this conference is therefore expected to address funding challenges and a, so resolve the issue of geometric increase in the number of courses and students involve in the scheme.”

  • SIWES has reduced demand for expatriates in Nigeria-ITF boss

    The Director General, Industrial Training Fund, Joseph Ari has disclosed that the Student Industrial Work Experience, SIWES has prepared students to fit into government industrial employments, thus reducing the need for expatriates in the field of engineering and technology.

    The ITF boss disclosed this during the SIWES expanded stakeholders meeting in Abuja, assuring that ITF is willing to do all it can to ensure its survival.

    He said, “SIWES is very relevant. Initially the scheme was limited to students of engineering and technology departments only, today it covers all discipline because of its relevance to technology and economic development.

    “The scheme has succeeded in establishing a closer collaboration between institutions and industries, a factor which is essential for preparing young people for the world of work.

    “One issue that constantly occurred in the blueprint is the administration of the SIWES. Laudable as the scheme is to the overall development of our educational sector, it is the impartation of requisite skills among the nation’s undergraduates.”

    Ari said some of these challenges and constraints include poor funding of the scheme, astronomical increase in students enrollment as a result of continued increase in the number of institutions both public and private, increase number of approved courses, limited placement opportunities in industries, late submission of placement lists from supervisory agencies, misconceptions about eligibility to payment of SIWES allowance.

  • Students defend SIWES reports

    Students defend SIWES reports

    Students of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), have defended their industrial training reports. The defence, which was initially postponed to give adequate time for students, who had not completed their log books, was held at the department.

    Coordinator of the exercise, Mr Patrick Olele, re-scheduled another dates for students whose examiners were unavailable.

    Students who successfully completed their defence took turns to take photographs. One of them, Harrison Okeke, 500-Level Mechanical Engineering, said he was pleased with the conduct of the exercise, adding that he was happy to carry everyone along as the class representative.

    Juliet Ezengwa, a 500-Level Mechanical Engineering, condemned the attitude if her colleagues who downplayed the exercise and went about taking pictures.

  • Taking youths off the streets

    Taking youths off the streets

    •ITF trains 1,000 school drop outs in Anambra

    Youth particularly school drop outs will be taken off the streets and communities in Anambra State. This is not peculiar to Anambra. A similar thing will be done in other pilot states across the federation where about 10,000 school dropouts and jobless youth will be trained to be self reliant.

    Thanks to Industrial Training Fund (ITF) which is training over 10,000 school drop outs in Anambra State on vocational trades under the Federal Government’s initiative and development code named National Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP).

    Aside students on Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES), ITF is now committed in taking many unemployed youths out of the streets for a vibrant economy. Joblessness and unemployment are two pronged edged sword  ravaging the virility and viability of Nigerian youths but with the new scheme on empowering youths and engaging them meaningfully, crime will be reduced if not eradicated completely soon if the organisers wont be funny.

    Area Manager, Awka Area office, Mrs Linda Ego Egbuonu, announced this while briefing journalists on the planned training of youths between ages of 16 and 25 with minimum of Junior Secondary school education.

    Mrs Egbuonu said ITF would procure equipment to empower the youth at the end of the three months training on welding, tiling and POP making; and two weeks entrepreneurial training development to enable them leverage  the support from the government. The emphasis is not on the empowerment but the trainees’ commitment and dedication to get the best from the over 20 trainers engaged for the training.

    She said over 1,500 trainees applied but only 1,000 were selected with about ten centres for welding and fabrication at 9 locations including Amawbia, Enugu-Ukwu, Onitsha, Nnewi, Umuobi Awkuzu, Ekwulobia, Aguleri, Ihiala and Ogidi (Oye Olisa Market).

    She said those learning tiling and POP would have their training at Awka, Ihiala , Nnewi , Oko and Onitsha even as she added that the idea was to place the trainees as close as possible to their homes .

    According to Mrs Egbuonu, the Director General of Industrial Training Fund, Prof Longmas Wapmuk Sambo, was directed by the Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr Olusgun Aganga, to develop and implement a National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP).

    This, she said, is to fast-track the achievement of the National Industrial Revolution Plan with objectives of providing skills to support NIPR and turn Nigeria’s quantitative advantage to qualitative advantage by providing gainful employment and apprenticeship to our youths.

    Egbeonu added that the programme is targeted at developing highly skilled Entrepreneurial workforce as well as small and medium Enterprises (SME’s) in areas of competitive and comparative advantage and to reduce or minimize youth restiveness through the provision of gainful or self employable skills.

    The ITF Awka Area Manager informed that the programme is a pilot project being carried out in  ten states of the federation including Anambra state and that Governor Peter Obi of Anambra state will on 29th of this month launch the training after President Goodluck Jonathan launches the programme for the Nation on 22nd November, 2012.  Commissioner for Youths and Sports , Dr Edozie Aroh has been appointed by Obi to anchor the programme.

    She further said that the role of the ITF included Need assessment to identify manpower trade of the economy which will aid NISDP implementation process, develop work based curriculum , identify existing Technical/vocational /vocational centers nation wide that can be used for NISDP both private and public.

    Other roles of ITF in the NISDP included collaborating with state government and other agencies for the success of NISDP , testing and certifying trainees in liaison with relevant examination bodies , implementing ,supervising and coordinating the programme, select trainees in liaison with stakeholders , advertise and publicize NISDP among other roles.

    The role of Anambra state government she said included providing staff and taking part in the monitoring  and supervision of the exercises, involved in the selection of trainees  and support need assessment and sensitisation programme; create awareness and logistics as well as give technical support that will enhance the smooth running of the NISDP and its sustainability.