A team of officials of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), penultimate week paid a working visit to the corporate headquarters of The RELIANCE newspaper in Benin City, Edo State.
The Director of Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) of NOUN, Prof Joy Eyisi, who was represented by the Deputy Director SIWES, Mr Elvis Otamare, led two other officials from the Benin Center to the office of the Benin based weekly tabloid.
The three NOUN officials that visited office of The RELIANCE newspaper include Mr Elvis Otamare from NOUN head office in Abuja, Mr Bayour Emmanuel and Mr smart Ambrose, both from the Benin Center.
The familiazation visit by the NOUN officials was aimed at monitoring the progress of their three students who is undergoing 24 weeks industrial attachment with the The RELIANCE newspaper.
The visiting team which was received by the Editor-In-Chief/Publisher of the newspaper, Sir Ralph Okhiria, who expressed happiness over the decision of the NOUN authorities to check on their students in training with the newspaper company.
He disclosed that the management and staff of the newspaper company were so far satisfied with the performances of the student trainees with the organisation.
He charged the interns to be more committed and dedicated to work in order for them to gain full practical journalistic knowledge during their stay with the newspaper company, even as he promised to do his best to making sure the student trainees are exposed to the highest ethical and practical journalism in the country.
The Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) was established by federal government to solve the problem of lack of adequate practical skills preparatory for employment in industries by Nigerian graduates of tertiary institutions.
The Scheme exposes students to industry based skills necessary for a smooth transition from the classroom to the world of work. It affords students of tertiary institutions the opportunity to familiarize and get exposed to the needed experience in handling machinery, equipment and practical learning which are usually not available in the educational institutions.
Consequently, the SIWES programme is a compulsory graduation requirement for all Nigerian university students offering certain courses.
Speaking during the visit, Mr. Elvis Otamare, said the monitoring exercise was part of the approved Benchmark for Minimum Academic Standards (BMAS) for some degree programmes.
“It is a compulsory skill training programme designed to bridge the gap between theory and practice in engineering and technology, science, agriculture, management and other professional education programmes in Nigerian tertiary institutions.
“The SIWES supervisor is to come from Abuja to join the Benin Study center SIWES Desk officers to access students Log books and also meet with the industry Directors.”
He urged the students to strive to do their best and to serve as good ambassadors of the school to organizations they are posted to, thereby providing a platform for acceptances of other students that will seek for SIWES placement in such organizations in the future.
Also speaking, Mr Bayour Emmanuel, one of the Benin Study Center SIWES Desk Officers, said some of the organizations visited include Edo Broadcasting Service (EBS), Oredo LGA, Super FM, Nigeria Immigration Service and Nigerian Correctional Service.
He happily disclosed that the feedback they are getting from organizations where NOUN students are on internship was very impressive and encouraging.
He, however, stressed the need for the student trainees to be good ambassador of the school.
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