CERTIFICATIONI, Adeniran Obafemi Olubunmi with matriculation number 134196 hereby

declare that I undergo two full months of Industrial Training Programme at Aitek Networks
Systems Limited, Ikeja, Lagos and that this report is written by me to the best of the practical
knowledge I gained during the course of the training programme.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) is a programme which was established by ITF
in 1973 under the direct coordination of the Nigeria Universities Commission (NUC), National
Commission for College of Education (NCCE), and National Board for Technical Education (NBTE)
to solve the problem of lack of adequate practical skills required for employment in industries by
Nigerian graduates of tertiary institutions.

Participation in Industrial Training is a well-known educational strategy. Classroom studies are

integrated with learning through hands-on work experiences in a field related to the student’s
academic program and career goals. Successful internships foster an experiential learning process that
do not only promotes career preparation but provides opportunities for learners to develop skills
necessary to become leaders in their chosen professions.

SIWES REPORT 2016 Page | 1

One of the primary goals of the SIWES is to help students integrate leadership development into the
experiential learning process. Students are expected to learn and develop basic non-profit leadership
skills through a mentoring relationship with innovative non-profit leaders.

By integrating leadership development activities into the Industrial Training experience, ITF hope to
encourage students to actively engage in non-profit management as a professional career objective.
Participation in SIWES has become a necessary pre-condition for the award of Diploma and Degree
certificates in specific disciplines in most institutions of higher learning in the country. The scheme is
a tripartite programme involving the students, the Universities and the Industries (the employers of
labour).

1.1 AIMS OF SIWES

SIWES is aimed at promoting the much-desired technological know-how for the advancement of the
nation by exposing students to machines and equipment, professional work methods and ways of
safeguarding the work area as well as the workers in industries and other organizations.

1.2 OBJECTIVES OF SIWES

The following are some of the objectives of SIWES:

1. To provide students the opportunity to test their interest in a particular career before
permanent commitments are made.

2. To develop skills in the application of theory to practical work situations.

3. To provide students the opportunity to test their aptitude for a particular career before
permanent commitments are made.

4. To develop skills and techniques directly applicable to their careers.

5. To aid students in adjusting from college to full-time employment.

6. To prepare SIWES students in entering into full-time employment in their area of

specialization upon graduation.

7. To help SIWES student acquire good work habits.

8. To help SIWES student develop employment records/references that will enhance

employment opportunities.

SIWES REPORT 2016 Page | 2

1.3 FOREMOST ENGINEERING LIMITED

Foremost Engineering Limited is a fully fledge Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
solutions provider situated at No. 19 Fagbewesa Street, Oshogbo, Osun State, Nigeria.

The company was established by a geologist in 2000; Foremost was established as a private owned
Limited Liability Company (LLC). Foremost is committed to offering delivery-on-demand ICT
solutions to both small and large scale enterprises. They also offer ICT consultancy services by
always keeping their clients abreast with the current trends in the ICT world and helping in realizing
all available ICT opportunities for business growth and stability. Their approaches are business
oriented and their core goal is aimed at offering efficient ICT solutions as well as building human
capacity development in the ICT industry for the economic growth of Nigeria in particular and the
world at large.

1.4.0 FOREMOST DEPARTMENTS AND THEIR FUNCTIONS

Foremost Engineering Limited has different strategic departments and units that assist in performing
various functions in order to achieve the desired objectives. This section explores these diverse units
and shows how they function in Foremost.

1. ADMINISTRATION: This department over sees the smooth running of daily activities and
ensures good flow of work process. It sub divided into the following:

 Human Resource Management (HRM): Here, they are committed to providing an enabling
environment where the full potentials of each and every staff can be unleashed to create a
mastery of achievement. They are in charge of employment and code of conduct and ethics of
members of staff. Training of IT students, students of Foremost and staffs of the company is
also carried out in this unit.

 Reception/Customer Service: These units are responsible for welcoming visitors and
customers to Foremost. They enquire from the customers what they want, whom they would
want to see, show them the firm facilities, direct their enquiries or complains to the
appropriate staff, keep records of visitors log and ensure that the log is filled correctly.

2. FINANCE DEPARTMENT: The Finance department is responsible for the following:

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  Keeping Procedures - Keeping records of the purchases and sales made by a business
as well as capital spending.

 Preparing Final Accounts - Profit and loss account and Balance Sheets

 Providing management information - Managers require ongoing financial

information to enable them to make better decisions.

 Management of wages - The wages section of the finance department will be

responsible for calculating the wages and salaries of employees and organizing the
collection of income tax and national insurance for the Inland Revenue.

 Raising Finance - The finance department is also responsible for the technical details
of how the business raises finance e.g. through loans, and the repayment of interest on
that finance. In addition it also supervises the payment of dividends to shareholders.

3. ICT/Cybercafé DEPARTMENT: The Information Communication Technology (ICT) performs a

cross-cutting function and therefore addresses the connectivity and harnessing of the emerging
technologies to enhance research capacity and also a Cyber. Modernizing the infrastructure and
services that support research activities of the firm is also a priority of this department. The contract
of the company as relates to technology (database design, web design, software development and
networking etc.) is executed in this department.

1.4.1 FORMOST ENGINEERING LIMITED ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

Foremost Engineering Limited is headed by a Chief Executive Officer, CEO who also doubled as the
director of research and innovation. He sees to the smooth running of the day-to-day activities of the
company. The CEO is directly assisted by three (3) different directors, namely: director of ICT and
Chief Architect, director of Administration, and director of Finance.

The three directors who are in charge of the three departments are also assisted by six (6) other
managers who are in charge of various units in the company. The six units are: Administration,
Account, Operation, Human Resources, System Security, and Network System.

Foremost also has a business developer who report to the director of Business analysis, Network
Engineer working with the Network System manager, a receptionist under Administration manager,
training instructors working in the Human Resources department as well as a cashier assisting the
Account manager.

SIWES REPORT 2016 Page | 4

 CEO,
CEO, DIRECTOR
DIRECTOR OF
OF
RESEARCH
RESEARCH &INNOVATION
&INNOVATION

CHIEF
CHIEF ARCHITECT
ARCHITECT DIRECTOR
DIRECTOR OF
OF DIRECTOR
DIRECTOR OF
OF
AND DIRECTOR
AND DIRECTOR BUSINESS
BUSINESS FINANCE
FINANCE
OF
OF ICT
ICT ANALYSIS
ANALYSIS

SYSTEM
SYSTEM SECURITY BUSINESS ACCOUNT
SECURITY BUSINESS ACCOUNT
1.4.2 MANAGER
MANAGER
DEVELOPER
DEVELOPER MANAGER
MANAGER
FOREMOST ENGINEERING LIMITED ORGANOGRAM

NETWORK
NETWORK SYSTEM
SYSTEM OPERATION
OPERATION CASHIER
CASHIER
MANAGER
MANAGER MANAGER
MANAGER

NETWORK
NETWORK
ENGINEER
ENGINEER HUMAN
HUMAN TRAINING
TRAINING
RESOURCES
RESOURCES INSTRUCTOR
INSTRUCTOR
MANAGER
MANAGER

ADMIN
ADMIN MANAGER
MANAGER RECEPTIONIST
RECEPTIONIST

SIWES REPORT 2016 Page | 5

 CHAPTER TWO

2.0 ACTIVITIES DURING THE SIWES PERIOD

During my six months SIWES programme at Foremost, all lectures and practical works took place at
the company’s classroom/Laboratory whereby all resource persons come to deliver their lecture or
take the students on practical. The activities undertaken during the period of attachment in Foremost
Engineering Limited can be divided into four (4) distinct parts, they are:

A. Computer hardware maintenance and repair,

B. Use of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint,

C. Preparing, installing, configuring of computer network,

2.1 COMPUTER HARDWARE MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR

This section deals with the repair, maintenance and installation of some basic computer hardware. In
order to work as a professional in computer hardware repair and maintenance, some basic tools such

SIWES REPORT 2016 Page | 6

as Anti-static wrist strap, Spare parts container, Screwdrivers, Inspection flashlight, Part retriever,
Wire Stripper, Solder iron, IC puller, Pliers etc. are required. These tools can be purchase in a single
tool kit or separately. Some basic precautions that must be observed in carrying out either repair or
maintenance, or installation of basic PC hardware are:

 Remember to turn off the AC supply and unplugged the system or remove the battery in
case of a laptop for extra safety.

 Always put on your anti-static wrist strap or ground yourself by discharging yourself of
any electric charges, also remove any hand jewelry.

 Avoid capacitors in the first 10 minutes of opening the system because capacitor stores
charges.

 Never service the non-serviceable like the PSU, hard & Optical drives, etc.

Some of the Computer hardware I was opportune to have a hand-on experience with during the
SIWES and the problems associated with each of them solved are: Motherboard, Hard disk drive,
CPU, RAM, PSU, keyboard, case fan, etc.

A. MOTHERBOARD

The Motherboard is the heart of a computer

because other major components that make
the system work are connected to it. As the
processor is said to be the brain of a computer
system, so also is a Motherboard refers to as
the heart of a computer system. As long as the
system Motherboard is intact, if other things
go wrong with the system, it is often
repairable at a reasonable cost. Motherboard
repair or replacement is usually very
expensive.

Symptoms:
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Failure to boot at all or boot successfully, increased window errors or blue screens of death, freezing,
or connected device that previously worked suddenly won’t work. Four beeps, followed by 2, 3, or 4
beeps indicate serial or parallel port issues on a motherboard which also implies a damaged
motherboard.

Causes:

Electrical spikes & surges, Dust, Pet hair, & debris, smoke and tar, heating issues, physical impact or
spill, normal aging & wear, manufacturer design defects etc.

Solution:

Most repair of motherboard is usually done by professional technician because of the various circuitry
on it if it has not damaged beyond repair else a new motherboard of the same form factor and
specification will be acquired for replacement to the dead motherboard.

Installation:

STEP 1: Orient the system board into the case,

STEP 2: Locate the mounting holes,

STEP 3: Insert the riser fittings (if needed),

STEP 4: Position the system board,

STEP 5: Screw the system board.

The faulty motherboard I handled in LostCodes Technology had a symptom of not booting at all and
after eliminating every other possible component such as CPU, RAM, & PSU, it was confirmed that
the Motherboard was responsible for the problem and the problem was solved by simply replacing the
faulty Motherboard with a new one.

B. HARD DISK DRIVE

Hard disk drive is a secondary storage medium of a PC, the

operating system (OS) and every other programs that is not in

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execution are stored in the hard disk drive. Hard disk failure can cause loss of data stored in it if it
isn’t backup with another storage medium.

Symptoms:

Although, there are many signs associated with a failing or dead hard disk drive like slowing down of
performance, frequent freezes, Blue screen of death (BSOD), corrupted data, strange sounds etc. but
the most common of them all is the slowing down in performance or the strange sounds. When the
hard disk drive is failing, it can take up to 25 – 30 minutes to load the OS after booting and the same
amount of time to also shut down properly. Even when the system finally load the OS, frequent
freezes will still be experienced during the use of the PC.

Causes:

Firmware or manufacturer faults, heating issues, frequent power outage without UPS, electronic
failure or power surges, mechanical or internal failure, corrupted system files by unethically shutting
down of PC, human errors like modifying the system registry settings, altering system files attribute
and location, wrong installation of OS.

Repair:

In case of corrupted system files, always use the standard way of shutting down of PC by closing any
or all the running programs before shutting down. Regular updating of system, running the latest copy
of antivirus program or replacing a hard disk drive after 5 years of intensive use can handle problem
arising from mechanical or internal failure. In case of electronic failure, use only required power
supply. If the disk drive is dead, try changing the SATA/USB or IDE cable as well as the power
adapter and if this does not work, replace the dead hard disk drive with a new one.

Installation:

STEP 1: Configure the drive as a master or slave,

STEP 2: Locate the drive cage,

STEP 3: Orient the drive in the cage,

STEP 4: Secure the drive by installing the mounting screws,

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STEP 5: Install the drive cage into the computer case,

STEP 6: Secure the case with screws.

The two particular hard disk drive problems I encountered at Foremost was caused by its SATA cable
which was not properly plugged and other was caused by mechanical failure with a symptom of
strange sound which was solved by replacing the faulty hard disk drive.

C. CPU

Central Processing Unit (CPU) which is also refers to as the

‘Processor’ is the brain of a computer system as it performs the
Arithmetical/logical operations in the system. Without a CPU, a
system cannot work.

Symptoms:

i. Computer turns on, no beeps, no screen and does no

POST.

ii. Computer turns on; fans run at highest speeds, still no POST and OS not loading.

iii. Computer turns on but turns off immediately

iv. Computer screen freezes after being on for a few minutes.

v. System halts error (BSOD).

Above symptoms is also associated with other hardware fault in the system but in other to be sure of a
faulty CPU, the following is what needed to be checked if they are working properly before drawing
your conclusion:

i. If the heat sink and fan is working properly,

ii. If there is no bulging or leaking capacitors on the motherboard near the CPU or memory,

iii. If the power supply is working properly by checking with a tester,

iv. If the system has a dedicated video card that is in good condition.

If all the above checks out well, then the CPU or the motherboard is faulty.

Causes:

Age, heat, overclocking or stress, dried thermal compound, electrical power surge.

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 Solution:

If it has been confirmed that the CPU is bad, the only solution is to replace the bad CPU with another
one.

Installation:

STEP 1: Locate the processor socket on the system board,

STEP 2: Open the socket cover,

STEP 3: Orient the processor,

STEP 4: Insert the processor into the socket,

STEP 5: Secure the processor by closing and locking the cover.

A complete dead case of CPU was handled during my attachment, its symptom is that the computer is
not turning on at all and it was resolved changing the CPU with a new one

D. RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY (RAM)

RAM is a volatile primary memory medium in which

programs in execution are stored. Without the RAM,
OS can’t be loaded thereby terminating the boot
process uncompleted.

Symptoms:

i. Computer first turn on and runs fine but it

performance start deteriorating about an hour of use.

ii. Computer System randomly restarts while using it or freeze sporadically.

iii. Files regularly access and save seem to be inexplicably corrupted.

iv. Attempt to install a new program repeatedly fail for unknown reasons.

v. Computer fails to boot to OS.

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vi. System beeps 2 to 3 times when turned on and refuse to boot to OS.

Causes:

The symptom of 2 to 3 beeps when turned on is usually caused by improper installation of the RAM
stick into its slot on the motherboard. Soft errors due to heat, magnetic interference, electrostatic
discharge, power surges and flaws, hard errors which cause hardware or software to crash whenever
the affected memory cell is accessed. Unlike soft errors, hard errors are uncorrectable. Factory defect
can also cause a faulty RAM.

Solution:

The memory sticks can be removed if they are more than one and start testing each of the RAM
modules in the slots. If all the RAM modules seem bad, then the problem might probably be the
RAM slots. If the module is not inserted correctly on the slot, then remove and re-insert correctly. But
if the RAM module is bad, replacing it will be appropriate. To fix a faulty RAM slot, one would need
to replace the motherboard completely.

Installation:

STEP 1: Locate RAM slots on the system board,

STEP 2: Orient the RAM over the slot,

STEP 3: Insert the RAM into the slot;

STEP 4: Secure the RAM by verifying that the locking arms have properly closed into the locked
position.

Most RAM problems I encountered were that of improper installation which was corrected by simply
re-installing them.

E. POWER SUPPLY UNIT (PSU)

Power supply unit converts alternating current (AC) to low

voltage regulated DC power for the consumption of internal
components of the PC.

Symptoms:

When your computer does not get the power it needs, the
result can be erratic behaviour, irregular shut downs, or
spectacular failures. Unexplained crashes could point to a PSU
SIWES REPORT 2016 Page | 12
failure, unexplained video errors, noise and odour, complete failure. Hard disk and fan simultaneously
fail to spin.

Causes:

PSU fan failure, electric shocks, smoke, blown circuit breaker, bad capacitor, inadequate cooling fan,
overloading etc.

Solution:

If the PSU has been ascertained to be dead, a replacement is an option to bring the system back to
life. Repair of dead PSU is done by a professional technician who is grounded in the recoiling and
service of PSU. If the power cord is bad, replacement is necessary.

Installation:

STEP 1: Locate the power supply bay in the case,

STEP 2: Orient the power supply to the bay,

STEP 3: Insert the power supply into the bay,

STEP 4: Secure the power supply to the case by installing the mounting screws.

The problem of the PSU I came across at LostCodes technology was complete failure to power a
system which was solved by purchasing a new PSU of the same specification.

Other problems encountered and solved were keyboard problem, monitor not displaying at all, optical
drive that is not reading a digital video disk (DVD), etc.

2.2.0 MICROSOFT OFFICE WORD 2007

Is a word processing application, and it is a part of the Microsoft office package. A word processor is
a program that helps you create, edit, format, and print documents such as letters, reports, and Web
pages.

A. COMPONENTS OF THE WORD WINDOW

Word had several components that help you interact with the program, they are listed below:

 the title bar, the menu bar, standard toolbar, document area

 view buttons (print layout, full screen reading, web layout etc.)

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  status bar, vertical and horizontal scroll bar, ruler

Important shortcuts in Microsoft word are:

 ctrl + n = new document, ctrl + s = save document

 ctrl + d = font, ctrl + f = find

 ctrl + p = print document, ctrl + b = bold

 ctrl + I = italics, ctrl + u = underline

 ctrl + ] = to increase text size, ctrl + [ = to decrease text size

 ctrl + c = copy, ctrl + v = paste

 ctrl + z = undo ctrl + x = cut

 ctrl + e = centralise shift + arrow keys = highlight text

 ctrl + j = justify ctrl + a = highlight all text

 shift + f3 = to toggle between lower case, upper case etc

 alt + f4 = shutdown, etc.

B. DIFFERENT METHODS OF CREATING TABLES:

 USE OF THE TABLE MENU

Click where you want to insert a table.

On the Insert tab, in the Tables group, click Table, and then, under Insert Table, drag to select the
number of rows and columns that you want.

 USE THE INSERT TABLE COMMAND

You can use the Insert Table command to choose the table dimensions and format before you insert
the table into a document.

Click where you want to insert a table.

On the Insert tab, in the Tables group, click Table, and then click Insert Table.

Under Table size, enter the number of columns and rows.

Under AutoFit behaviour, choose options to adjust the table size.

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  DRAW A TABLE

Click where you want to create the table.

On the Insert tab, in the Tables group, click Table, and then click Draw Table.

The pointer changes to a pencil.

To define the outer table boundaries, draw a rectangle. Then draw the column lines and row lines
inside the rectangle.

2.2.1 MICROSOFT EXCEL 2007

This is a spreadsheet program used to store and manipulate data.

To open an Excel workbook, click on ‘Start menu’, then ‘All programs’, then ‘Microsoft Office’ and
finally click on ‘Microsoft Office Excel’. When a new workbook is opened, the following are some
features found in MS Excel:

Office, Quick office access, title bar, menu bar, standard toolbar (Ribbon), cell address, formula bar,
column heading, row heading, spreadsheet cell, status bar, horizontal & vertical scrollbar, etc.

In MS Excel, two or more cells can be merged together.

Autofill – This feature is used to copy cell contents across or down the spreadsheet. This is useful if
you have to type the same word or number into a group of neighbouring cells.

A. TO USE AUTOFILL

 Select the cell containing the data you wish to copy

 Position over the fill handle until the cursor changes to a black cross

 Click on the fill handle and drag down or across the sheet, until the data series has reached the
size you want

If Autofill is used with dates or words relating to dates, such as months or days, it will produce a ‘fill
series’. This will work with months in full (January) or in short (Jan) and days of the week in full
(Monday) or in short (Mon).

B. SELECTING A CELL, COLUMN, ROW

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 1. To select a cell – click on the cell with your cursor

2. To select a column – click on the grey column heading at the top of the column

3. To select multiple columns – click and drag across the column heading

4. To select a row – click on the row heading

5. To select multiple row - click and drag down through the row heading

6. To select non Adjacent Range - it is also possible to select two ranges of cells that are not
touching each other.

 Click and drag through the cells to select the first range

 Press the Ctrl key and hold it down

 Click and drag through the second range of cells

7. To select the whole spreadsheet – click on the small grey box at the top of the spreadsheet, it
is located to the left of the column heading A and above row heading 1

C. CREATE OR DELETE AN EXCEL TABLE IN A WORKSHEET

When you create a table in a Microsoft Office Excel worksheet, you can manage and analyse the data
in that table independently of data outside the table. When you no longer need a table, you can delete
it.

D. MANIPULATING THE DATA IN A TABLE

1. To calculate TOTAL of a range of numbers:

 Select the cell you wish to contain the total

 Type = sign, to start the formula

 Type the function for adding cells, SUM

 Type the open brackets character (

 Click on the first cell in the range

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  Type a colon :

 Click on the last cell in the range

 Type the close brackets character )

 Press enter to finish the formula

The AutoSum ∑ can also be used to calculate the TOTAL

2. To calculate AVERAGE of a range of numbers

 Select the cell you wish to contain the AVERAGE in

 Type = sign, to start the formula

 Type the function code AVERAGE

 Enter the range you wish to act upon, in brackets i.e (A1:A50)

 Press enter to finish the formula

To input GRADE in a table, logical IF expression is used e.g

=IF(F3>200, “A”, IF(F3>150, “B”, IF(F3>100, “C”, IF(F3>50, “D”, “F”))))

Data in a table can be used to plot its chart

 Select the rows or the columns to be used

 Click on INSERT from menu bar

 Select your desired chart

2.3 BASIC COMPUTER NETWORK

This is a collection of two or more computers that are connected together to share files, or resources.

A. NETWORK CABLE

This is a medium which connects two or more devices together in which information can flow.

ETHERNET CABLE PIN OUTS IN UNSHIELDED TWISTED PAIR

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There are two basic Ethernet cable pin outs. A straight-through Ethernet cable, which is used to
connect to a hub or a switch, and a crossover Ethernet cable used to operate in a peer-to-peer fashion
without a hub/switch.

For straight-through, there are two standards which are T568A refers to as Standard A and T568B also
refers to as Standard B. Both ends for Standard A are the same as well as that of Standard B. Their
colour configurations are:

STANDARD A STANDARD B
S/NO WIRE S/NO WIRE
1 White Green 1 White Orange
2 Green 2 Orange
3 White Orange 3 White Green
4 Blue 4 Blue
5 White Blue 5 White Blue
6 Orange 6 Green
7 White Brown 7 White Brown
8 Brown 8 Brown

Colour configurations for Crossover Ethernet cable pin out

END 1 END 2
S/NO WIRE S/NO WIRE
1 White Orange 1 White Green
2 Orange 2 Green
3 White Green 3 White Orange
4 Blue 4 White Brown
5 White Blue 5 Brown
6 Green 6 Orange
7 White Brown 7 Blue
8 Brown 8 White Blue

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B. HOW TO WIRE ETHERNET CABLES

Wiring your own Ethernet cables and connectors.

Required items are:

 Ethernet Cable (Preferably Cat 5, 5e, 6, 6e Or 7), Multipurpose Crimper Tool

 Modular Connector Plug (RJ45), LAN Cable Tester

Below are the steps on how to wire Ethernet patch cables:

1. Strip off about two inches of the Ethernet cable sheath

2. Untwist the pairs

3. Align the coloured wires according to your desired standard

4. Trim all the wires to the same length, about ½ to ¾ inch left exposed from the sheath

5. Insert the wires into the RJ45 plug – make sure each wire is fully inserted to the front of the
RJ45 plug and in correct order. The sheath of the cable should extend into the plug by about ½
inch and will be held in place by the crimp.

6. Crimp the RJ45 plug with the crimper tool

7. Verify that the wires ended up the right order and that the wires extend to the front of the RJ45
plug and make good contact with the metal contacts in the RJ45 plug

8. Cut the Ethernet cable to length – make sure it is more than long enough for your needs

9. Repeat the above step 1 – 7 for the other end with the same colour configuration for straight-
through but different colour configurations for the Crossover cable

Test the cable with the LAN cable tester to check for continuity in each of the wire.

SIWES REPORT 2016 Page | 19

 CHAPTER THREE

PROBLEM ENCOUNTERED

Having problem in life is inevitable and my SIWES period was not an exemption as I was also faced
with some problems in which some were solved and some were without solution. Some of the
problems I encountered during the programme at LostCodes Technology were:

Inadequate Equipment – During my attachment, some basic tools needed for troubleshooting of
basic computer system hardware were not available. So, troubleshooting a system with problems like
faulty motherboard or CPU was done manually through elimination process.

Communication Gap – At the early stage of my programme, information was not properly flowing
from the management of the company to the students on industrial training attachment which was
corrected when their attention was drawn to it.

Job Scarcity – Computer repairs, maintenance and installations for clients as well as other jobs were
not rampart as some complained about the economy situation of the country. This limits the level of
work I was able to perform during my programme.

Office Space–the small office space at the company was a major problem as students on IT
attachment are made to carry out every work performed in a classroom that can only accommodate
not more than twelve students at a time.

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RELEVANCE OF SIWES TO MY COURSE OF STUDY

SIWES having been introduced to enable student obtain reasonable and necessary skills in handling
challenges and to help in the transformation of the classroom knowledge acquired in tertiary
institution into practical skill has really achieved a lot of its objectives. The relevance of SIWES
programme to students educational lives are numerous, amongst are:

 Preparing students for employment and making the transition from school to the world of
work easier after graduation.

 Enabling students appreciate the connection between their courses of study and other related
disciplines in the production of goods and services.

 Opportunity for students to blend theoretical knowledge acquired in the classroom with
practical hands-on application of knowledge required to perform work in industry.

 Enabling students bridge the gap between the knowledge acquired in institutions and the
relevant production skills required in work organizations.

 Enhancing students’ contacts with potential employers while on training.

 Provision of an enabling environment where students can develop and enhance personal
attributes such as critical thinking, creativity, initiative, resourcefulness, leadership, time
management, presentation skills and interpersonal skills, amongst others.

 Exposure of students to the environment in which they will eventually work, thereby enabling
them to see how their future professions are organized in practice.

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 CHAPTER FOUR

4.1 WAYS OF IMPROVING THE SIWES PROGRAMME

SIWES programme can be improved by the various actors in the programme which include the
Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN), Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Supervisory Agencies (NUC,
NCCE, NBTE), the Institutions, and the Employers.

A. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA

 The Federal Government should make it mandatory to all ministries, companies, and other
organization to offer placement and as well as accept student for industrial attachment.

 The Federal Government should increase the fund being provided for the SIWES Programme
and other educational Programme in general for effective and productive implementation of
the scheme.

B. THE INDUSTRIAL TRAINING FUND (ITF)

 The Industrial Training Fund should provide a strong insurance policy covered for student on
SIWES programme.

 The Industrial Training Fund should provide logistic and material necessary for the effective
administration of the scheme.

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  The Industrial Training Fund should formulate policies and guidelines on SIWES programme
for enhancement to all SIWES participating bodies, Institution and companies involved in the
scheme.

 The Industrial Training Fund should provide information on companies for the attachment and
help in the placement of student.

C. THE SUPERVISORY AGENCY

 The Supervisory agency should liaise with the industrial training funding (ITF) to ensure the
implementation of all the federal government policies on the scheme.

 The Supervisory agency should ensure adequate funding of the SIWES Unit in all the
institution for effective administration of the scheme.

 The Supervisory agency should research into the development of the scheme in line with
advances in technological development.

 The Supervisory agency should develop, monitor and review job specification in collaboration
with the institution toward the maintenance of the National Minimum Academic Standard for
the entire programme approved for SIWES.

D. THE INSTITUTION

 The institution should help identify placement opportunities for student attachment with
employers.

 The institution should ensure regular visitation of their student on industrial attachment to
monitor their welfare and improvement status.

 The institution should have adequate information on some of the challenges facing the firm
and the student; it should be noted and treated immediately.

 The institution should ensure payment of student allowances and other outstanding financial
challenges.

E. THE EMPLOYER

 The Employer should accept student for industrial training attachment

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  The Employer should allow the student to have access to some of their useful equipment like
the computer system and its other resourceful accessories (Internet service) and other useful
facilities.

 The Employer should provide welfare services like – Drugs and other Medication and show
good hospitality to student and general public.

4.2 ADVICE FOR FUTURE PARTICIPANT

The future participant of SIWES Programme, I strongly recommend that they should bear the
following in mind:

 The student should be focus to avoid disputing the reputation of the institution in their place of
industrial attachment and they should also bear in mind the objective of the scheme and show
commitment, diligent and honesty.

 The students should obey and adhere strictly to all rules and regulations of the company; they
should respect the industrial based supervisors as well as other staff of the company because
the moral standard of the student is also evaluated.

 The student should avoid change of placement without seeking permission from the institution
even in special circumstance which must always be determine and approved by their
institutional based supervisor, the employer and the industrial training fund.

 The student should handle the equipment of the firm with great care and they should take pride
in protecting the interest of the company throughout the period of industrial attachment.

4.3 ADVICE FOR THE SIWES MANAGER

 The SIWES Manager should give attention to student welfare on industrial training and the
student allowance should be increase as a result of high cost of standard of living in our
society.

 Technologists from various departments or programs should be involved in the drafting of

time table for students on IT to ensure that students are always sent into areas where activities
that will result in learning experience are taking place.

4.4 SUMMARY

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The purpose of compiling this report is to highlight and review the activities experienced during my
brief stay at Foremost Engineering Limited, Oshogbo. There is always a better tendency to learn
better when a person is practically involved in the learning process of a vocation than just going
through the theoretical aspects of it alone. This experience has widened my exposure and has aided
my general understanding of majority of the things I have learned in school.

4.5 RECOMMENDATION

Although SIWES undergone did achieve quite a lot of its stated objectives, nevertheless, the
following recommendations are suggested to improve the qualitative context of the programme:

i. Participation of private corporate organization to minimize the problem of low funding as

recently complained by the director of ITF and payment of befitting student allowance to
assist in students finances during the period of training should be done on monthly basis and
promptly.

ii. Participation of various professional, regulatory and statutory bodies such as CPN, NCS in the
supervision of students.

iii. Sending students specifically to establishment where the stipulated aims and objectives of
SIWES would be achieved.

4.6 CONCLUSION

In conclusion, there were many things that I experienced and learnt during the six month of my
Industrial Training at Foremost Engineering Limited. As a student majoring in Communication
Technology, I was very much involve in computer/information technology related work and task,
most of my training time were focused on computer system repairs, maintenance and installation as
well as basic computer networking. The whole training period was very interesting, instructive and
challenging. Through this training I was able to gain new insights and more comprehensive
understanding about the real industry working condition and practice because it has afforded me the
basic practical and theoretical knowledge that I would not have gotten from the lecture room going by
my experience in the past three years in the institution. It also gave me the opportunity to have a feel
of what it would be like after graduation when I start working. Going by the experience acquired
during this programme, SIWES can be said to be the best way to prepare students to face the real
working life after graduation. I also have been able to use this training to explore various avenues
available at my disposal career-wise especially in preparing for CompTIA A+ certificate examination

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REFERENCES:

 David B, David G, & Jim M, 2004, Cabling: complete guide to network wiring, 3rd Edition,
SYBEX, London.

 Jeans Andrews, 2004, A+ Guide to managing & maintaining your PC, 5th Edition.

 IT Essentials: PC Hardware & Software Companion Guide. (pg 103 - 112).

 Fundamentals of programming using Java by Edward Currie (2006).

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