DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF ELECTRONIC LOGBOOKS FOR STUDENTS INDUSTRIAL WORK EXPERIENCE SCHEME (SIWES)

1.1 Introduction

The Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (S.I.W.E.S) is an industrial training program for Nigerian university undergraduate students and other higher institutions. The Fund for Industrial Training Fund (ITF) is the body responsible for coordinating and financing the program. It is a six-month training scheme in which students are attached to relevant industries in their field of study. The students industrial work experience scheme (SIWES) is also a skill training program that is designed by the federal government to expose and prepare students of university, Polytechnic and colleges of education for industrial work situation that they might likely meet before or after graduation. Before the establishment of the scheme was a growing concern among our industrialists that graduates of our institutions of higher learning lacked adequate practical background studies preparatory for employment in industries.

As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.

1.2 Background of Study

Industrial Training program was introduced under the National policy by the federal government in the year 1973/74 and supervised by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE). It is a training a student undergoes in the field of his/her course of study in other to acquires more knowledge and be more practical. In the year 1979, Federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri was originated as the Imo State of Nigeria edict.No.16 of 1978 established the institution. It started at the Government Technical College (GTC) along Egbu road Owerri in the same year, with an initial number of 275 students. In October 1980, the institution was moved to its permanent site at Nekede Owerri-west with an intake number of 1350 students. The institution later metamorphosed to Polytechnic Nekede Owerri on the 25th march 1987 by edict No.6 of 1987. on 1st of January 1993, it was later renamed to Federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri.

The programme was introduced into the SIWES unit of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF). Participation in SIWES since its inception has become a necessary pre-condition for the award certificates in specific disciplines especially Engineering, Sciences and other Technology related disciplines in most tertiary institutions across Nigeria, in accordance with the education policy of government. Nigeria has about 200 tertiary institutions which include Universities, Polytechnics and college of educations. With over 200 tertiary institutions (Universities, Polytechnics and College of Educations) across the country operating on different academic calendar, the number of students that participate in SIWES from Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education is within the range of 15000 to 25000 yearly for a minimum of 4 to 6 month; the ITF is task with managing and maintaining the record. For such reasons, most of the ITF area offices across the 36 states of the country and SIWES offices in the institutions all over the country have a collection of manual files and registers to store record of student embarking on the skill acquisition exercise from these institutions across the country every year.

The main objective of the program is to bridge the gap between theories and practical by making it possible for students to get themselves exposed to real jobs and actual job situations and environments. It is therefore an important and mandatory component of training in the accredited disciplines or courses like Computer science, Engineering, Geology, and Agricultural Sciences, etc. This is a very inefficient and cumbersome way of managing records which greatly impedes the flow of critical information, as well as makes searching of information time consuming. This method of managing record makes it almost impossible to give record of the total number of students who embark on this exercise at any given time of the year and also error prone.

The manual approach used in managing this information those not only affect the board but also the student embarking on this exercise in areas such as improper supervision due to changes in places of attachment within the period of the exercise and lack of accessibility to forms (Form 8 and Bank account details) and other valuable documents required to be filled by the student and submit back to monitoring board.

1.3 Statement of Problem

Investigation revealed that the problem of the existing Electronic Logbooks For Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) is that the existing system:

1. Non-signing of necessary materials like students’ log book at their places of attachment;
2. Unnecessary delay in the payment of students and supervisor allowance;
3. Difficulties of students in getting placement and inadequate supervision;
4. Prone to human error/typographical error; and
5. Risk of transporting from students place of attachment down to their various schools for collection of their allowance.

1.4 Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of the study is to design and implement Electronic Logbooks For Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES). In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows to develop an application software that will:

1. Provide opportunities to apply their knowledge to actual practice thus making the college work easier;
2. Enable students to practice theory at school, and to provide access to the non-school production equipment;
3. Provide all students with skillful experience in the Technology, Polytechnic and University Schools; and
4. Provide avenue for students in institutions of higher learning to acquire industrial skills and experience in their approved course of study.

1.5 Significance of Study

Studying the usability of electronic logbook for interns is of utmost importance, considering the number of issues that will be addressed in the event of these logbooks being successfully adapted. Some of the issues associated with the paper logbook are already listed in the statement of problem. With the advent of omnipresent computing everything is going digital and the Nigerian society should not be an exception. Changing a society requires a change in the way academic community percepts and handles issues.

The relevance of this research work specifically will:

1. Provide a reliable and efficient platform for implementing e-payment directly to the account of the approved participating students.
2. Ensure adequate funding of the scheme.
3. Assist students in taking part in the students industrial work experience scheme (SIWES) are aware of the objectives for which it was established primarily on issue of relating theory to practice. They were usually eager to take part in the scheme because it offers the students learning experiences which cannot be directly gained in the class room.
4. Establish SIWES and accredit SIWES unit in the approved institutions.
5. Formulate policies and guideline for participating bodies and institutions as well as appointing SIWES co-coordinators and supporting staff.

This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.

1.6 Scope of Study

The scope of the research is focused on the Design and Implementation of Electronic Logbooks for Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) using Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri in Imo State as a case study.

1.7 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:

1. Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
2. Establishment Policies: Establishment policies posed a serious limitation as most staffs are not ready to release information needed for this project work. There were lots of information needed from the staffs of this institution to enhance the study which took them time to release or they did not release at all for security purposes, hence the scope was reduced.
3. Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
4. Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
5. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet).

1.8 Definition of Terms

Registration: This means to keep records received from the management for reference purposes.

Electronic Mail: It is a means of computer-based communication in which an electronic letter is sent to one or more recipient.