5 - ITF Nigeria

1
INTRODUCTION
Institutions was not responsive to the Organisations where they could
needs of the economy.
acquire the much needed practical
experience.
It was against this background that
the Fund during its formative years, Issues such as poor supervision of
introduced SIWES to provide Students by Industry, Institution and
Students with the opportunity of ITF-based Supervisors, as well as
exposure to handle equipment and delay in payment of stipends, among
machinery in Industry to enable them others, affect the operations and
acquire prerequisite practical products of the Scheme. It is
knowledge and skills.
expected that the products of the
Scheme must have acquired
At inception in 1974, the Scheme necessary technical skills needed by
started with 784 Students from 11 them to be self reliant and gainfully
Institutions and 104 eligible courses. employed. However, Nigeria is
By 2008, 210,451Students from 219 e x p e r i e n c i n g h i g h l e v e l o f
Institutions participated in the unemployment among graduates of
Scheme with over 164 eligible Tertiary Institutions as most of them
courses.
are unable to secure jobs in either
public or private sector of the
However, the rapid growth and economy or be self-employed.
expansion of SIWES, has occurred Therefore, the question is, are the
against the backdrop of successive products of this Scheme well
economic crises which have affected equipped to fit into the world of work,
t h e s m o o t h o p e r a t i o n a n d to meet the technical skill needs of the
administration of the Scheme. Most economy
industries in Nigeria today, are
operating below installed capacity In view of these challenges and
while others are completely shut emerging global economic trend,
down (Manufacturing Association, which is largely private sector led,
2003 - 2006). This has impacted competitive and technology-driven as
negatively on the Scheme as contained in the National Economic
Institutions of Higher Learning find it Empowerment and Development
increasingly difficult to secure Strategy (NEEDS) document and the
p l a c e m e n t f o r S t u d e n t s i n 7-Point Agenda of the Federal
2