Role Of Industrial Training On Secretaries

This study is designed to determine the impact or rather the contributions which the students of office technology and management derive from the students industrial work experience scheme (SIWES) and to investigate the hindrances if any, the students of office technology and management encounter in the course of gaining practical knowledge, pre qualification or pre-graduation experience and this has become an often quoted criteria for manpower selections as required by most employers. In keeping to this requirement, most employers search for persons who have had enough on-the-job experience to fill certain positions in the establishment.

In order to carry out the research, two major research questions were stated:

What are the major impacts or contributions that students of office technology and management derive from the students industrial work experience scheme (SIWES)?

What and what are the hindrances encountered by students of office technology and management in the course of gaining practical knowledge?

Some of the major findings of this research work include:

Every institution should set up coordinating units as advised by the industrial training fund (ITF) so as to reduce the communication gap between the students and institutions.

The induction/orientation of students should be organized to involve the institution, the industrial training fund (ITF) and employers. In that induction course, all information concerning the students must be made available to them.

Introduction

1.1 Background of the study

Industrial attachment is a system whereby a student before graduating is sent to an industry or a training centre to have practical experience on the job. It is either for a year, six months or two months depending on which categories of students are involved. At the training centre, only the practical aspect of the course is emphasized, that is, attention is paid to technical skill development.

In other words, industrial attachment as applied is to the undergraduate, a form of practical training in industry where the student is expected to acquire professional practical experience and scale in the activities of a particular industry or establishment and having a physical feeling of those things learnt in theory.

Industrial attachment as it is called today is the brain child of the industrial training fund (ITF) otherwise known as students" industrial work experience scheme (SIWES) which was introduced by the industrial training fund (ITF) since 1973.

According to Awan (1979), the industrial training fund (ITF) was established in Decree NO. 47 of 8th October 1971 with the aim of promoting and encouraging the acquisition of skills in industry and commerce with a view to generating a pool of indigenous trained manpower sufficient to meet the needs of the Nigerian economy.

Before the beginning of this scheme, various institutions made their own arrangement with industries or companies where their students go to have the practical experience to enable them match theory with practice. The pioneer of these private institutional arrangements was institute of management and technology (IMT), Enugu.

It was the first of the three manpower training and development agencies created by the Federal Military Government during the 2nd National Development plan period (1970-1974). The other bodies were the Nigerian count for management development (NCMD) and Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON). According to Ayoade (1994), the provision of the above decree which established the industrial training fund (ITF) empowered it among other things to

Encourage employer to train and retain their workers.

Provide facilities for industrial training in general.

It is in realization of this noble role that the industrial training fund in 1973 launched the students industrial work experience scheme (SIWES). The idea was to use facilities in industry and commerce to supplement institutional education and training, because of huge financial burden which this scheme placed on ITF, the fund in 1979 decided after due consideration to terminate the scheme. This decision was without prejudice to the consequences of their action on the students and their staff who had already seen the scheme as the only hope of preparing students very meaningfully for the work.

In order to sustain the expectation of the students and the need for manpower development in the nation, the federal military government continued to fund this scheme from 1980 to 1984 through the National Board of Technical Education (NBTE). The supervision of the scheme was once more passed over to the industrial training fund in 1985, while the funding remained the responsibility of the federal Government.

The scope of the fund left with administrative functions is limited to colleges of technology and education, university of technology and polytechnics all over the nation.

1.2 Statement Of The Problem

The need for work experience has become an often mentioned criterion for man power selection as required by all employers. Evidence has shown that students on industrial training come back to complain adversely on the lag existing between industrial experience or practical aspect of their studies with what is obtainable in the classroom, and the need to fill this gap is inevitable if the required manpower needed or expected of our students in office technology and management should be acquired and harnessed.

This calls for the need for our curriculum planners and implementers to look into the problem which the students encounter while in industrial training so that there will be a similar relationship with what is obtained in theory and that obtainable in their practical experience.

Therefore, efforts should be made by lecturers handling most of these courses like shorthand, keyboarding, office practice, e.e.d, and i.c.t and other management courses etc to see that the students will not mess themselves up while in their industrial training.

1.3 Purpose Of The Study

The main purpose of this study is to:

Ascertain the role of industrial training in office technology and management.

Examine the strength and weaknesses of the program which warrants its continuation.

Find out whether coordinating units are established in the institution and if they are functioning well.

To ascertain whether the employers accept all the students for industrial attachment as stipulated in ITF Decree NO 47 as amended in 1990.

Find out whether students involved are given orientation course prior to their attachment.

The students will in no small measure intensify and identify the various aims and objectives of the program and make necessary recommendations based on the findings.

1.4 Research Questions

For the purpose of this study, the following research questions have been formulated;

What are the major benefits that students of office technology and management derive from students industrial work experience scheme (SIWES)?

What are the strength and weaknesses of the program?

What is the role of supervision and observation during the SIWES program?

Is improper orientation before the program a factor that leads to lots of mistakes on the part of the student during the program?

1.5 Significance Of The Study

This research project will be useful to the students, Government and business houses in general.
It is expected that the study will provide data on the benefits, problems associated with industrial attachment and recommend possible solutions to this problems. The information should be useful to industries that show negative attitudes towards the program thereby making it easier for the students to secure attachment. Also to highlight to the students the expected relationship that should exist between them and the business houses.

This study will also be helpful to lecturers in office technology and management and other management studies that produce students for IT to have focus on the current development in the industries so that students experience in the classroom will be in line with what they will see as the practical aspect of their studies.

Government agents and agencies can still make use of this work to advise industries on the need to be fully involved in this program and ensure that the aim of this program is not just a mere written aim but an achieved aim if the need for man power development should rule the day.

Other readers and researchers in office technology and management will also find this work useful when they will need to do further research work on industrial training program which will serve as a word of encouragement to students of office technology and management during their IT and also a motivator in those taking active part in training and job inter play.

1.6 Scope Of The Study

For the purpose of this study, the federal polytechnic Nekede Owerri has been deemed most suitable for this study because the school holds a large number of students who are sent out on industrial attachment yearly.

There are about thirty three (33) departments in this institution, but this research work has been restricted to the department of office technology and management (O.T.M)

Choosing the federal polytechnic Nekede Owerri and the department of office technology and management covers the fact that what is obtainable here so far is the same as can be obtained in other institutions and departments engaged in the students" industrial work experience scheme and therefore can make for generalizability.

Also the financial involvement and time constraint are factors which were highly considered in the course of executing this research work.

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