RELEVANCE OF INDUSTRIAL WORK EXPERIENCE TO SECRETARIAL STUDENTS

1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The student’s industrial work Experience Scheme (SIWES) is a programme designed to expose and prepare students in the institutions of Higher Learning for the Industrial work situation, how to relate to God and how to manage oneself. These they are likely to meet after graduation.
The scheme affords students the opportunity of seeing familiarized and exposed to the needed experience in handling of machinery and equipment which are usually not available in the educational institutions.
Furthermore, the scheme exposes the students to work methods and prepare them in safeguarding the work area and other workers in the industry.
SIWES was introduced by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) in Nigeria in (1973) about 31 years ago. It was then limited to students of technology. Today it has covered many disciplines and has become a necessary recognition for the award of national diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) in polytechnics in the country.
A center focus of the scheme is to enlist and strengthen employers involvement in the educational process of preparing students for the worlds of work. The scheme is therefore aimed at promoting the much-desired technological know-how ultimate goal of the scheme force needed to build a self-reliance economy.
The following are SIWES relevance to secretarial studies.
It provides opportunity for the researcher and co-students to gain experiences as a supplement to their students by this, the researcher’s writing in this project will be supervised by the supervisor who helps to direct on how to carry out any given task.
It affords students the opportunity of being familiarized and exposed to the needed experience in secretarial studies.
It exposes the researcher/students to real life situation thus supplementing the theoretical lessons in the classroom.
It helps students to be acquainted to what nature of job they are likely to meet at the labor market.
It broader the knowledge and understanding of the students in terms of each person to know more
It is to prepare the researcher the participating students for better future use of their hand s and brain.
It helps students to gather more information for difficult issues.
It is one of the most task to take before graduating as a national diploma holder before enrolling for higher national diploma
As a problems facing the department and a solution to it is to relate it to the people in charge for better result in due time for the life wire of secretarial; studies.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMS
It has been observed that some students have some misconception about the work experience programme of the I.T.F. some students for example, equate the programmer with holidays job. Hence the commitment is lacking and so the skills and experience to be gained cannot be acquired from the scheme.
Again there is relevance among large number of employers to accept and provide facilities necessary for meaningful industrial experience to students. The fears of many employers are that students are inexperienced to handle certain delicate machines and tools without damaging them. A situation in which students are not allowed to use certain equipment does not provide the desired experience needed to prepare them for the world of work.
Also some students are not supervised during the attachments or training period at all. This is attributable to lack of adequate transportation facilities and or lack of seriousness on the part of their supervisors.

1.3 PURPOSE OF STUDY
The need of this study which was carried out and conducted in the department of secretarial studies. Institute of management and technology in 2004/2005 is to determine that it is of relevance to students to participate fully during their industrial work experience scheme. The researcher also wants to have an empirical base not to support all the sources about the poor impression students have on the industrial work experience scheme. Students must learn to think about themselves not as just a student, but as a product of oneself and doing the things which will make people to want deal with them. Do students of secretarial studies really know their works, and are they wooing secretarial studies as mere woo girks they fancy or love
If my findings are not valid, I would say there are no bases for the SIWES, but that it arise because students ought to do well in their discipline.
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
From the need for study it was assumed that the scheme is completely different from ordinary long vocation employment of the undergraduate. It is a continuation of the students studies.
SIWES as a t the time of its inception was limited to students of Engineering and Technology only. But today it covers many disciplines because of its relevance to technological and economic development. The scheme has succeeded in establishing a closer collaboration between institutions and industries which is essential for preparing young people skillfully for the world of work.
It helps to prepare students to fit in, readily to employment industries and commerce. Students no becomes exposed to real life situation, thus supplementing the theoretical lessons in the classroom. The research will also try to make the industrial training fund realize the existence of the department of secretarial studies and to include them in the eligible course for which SIWES and industrial training fund were compulsorily and centrally funded. This is because secretary-ship is one of the professional courses which its advantages cannot be over emphasized.
The study will also serve as useful information to any person who wants to research on related issues.

1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This study covers students industrial work experience scheme relevance to the secretarial studies department.
The institution of management and technology (IMT) Enugu was studied and no attempt was made to study any other department in any other institution involved in the scheme.

1.6 LIMITATION
In the course of carrying out this study the researcher was faced with financial difficulties and time constraints. Some of the respondents were also reluctant to respond to all items listed to the accuracy of information gotten from the students and SIWES staff who were the respondents to the questionnaire items.

1.7 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. Do students that participate in SIWES programmer receive enough practical from the programme
2. Do students participating in SIWES gain insight into the industrial operations.
3. In SIWES helping in generating a pool of indigenous trained manpower needed in the country
4. Does SIWES help to expose students to methods of handling equipments and machinery
5. Do the students gain supervised experience in industries through SIWES