Objectives

Specifically, the objectives of the Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) are to:
(a)        Provide avenue for Students in Institutions of higher Learning to acquire industrial skills and experience in their course of study.
(b)        Expose Students to work methods and techniques in handling equipment and machinery that may not be available in their Institutions.
(c)        Make the transition from school to the world of work easier, and enhance Students contacts for later job placement.
(d)        Provide Students with an opportunity to apply their knowledge in real work situation thereby bridging the gap between theory and practice.
(e)        Enlist and strengthen Employer’s involvement in the entire educational process and prepare Students for employment after graduation.

Students’ Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) is a tripartite programme, involving the students, the Universities and the industries (employers of labour). The programme is funded by the Federal Government of Nigeria and jointly coordinated by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) and the National Universities Commission (NUC). SIWES at the University of Ilorin started in the Faculty of Engineering and Technology in 1979 as an Industrial Coordinating Unit catering for engineering students on Industrial attachment. The unit was formally upgraded to a Directorate in the Office of the Vice – Chancellor in August 1999. Currently, the unit has its own separate building, caters for Thirteen (13) Faculties with about 50 courses/departments.

UNIVERSITY ROLES
The role of the University in this scheme includes the following:
a. Identify placement opportunities for students’ attachment with industries/ employers.
b. Organize Orientation programmes for students to prepare them for Industrial training.
c. Work out Industrial tailor – made programmes with the employers – based supervisor on the National Industrial training guidelines on each course.
d. Supervise students on attachment and sign their logbooks.
e. Assess students’ performance and award grades accordingly.
f. Submit completed ITF Form 8 and comprehensive reports on the scheme to the ITF after the programme.
g. Prepare and submit Master and Placement lists to the respective coordinating agencies- NUC and ITF