A Student Attachment Information System

Mokua Cyrus

102880

Mugo Victor

086372

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of Diploma of Business in

Information
Technology at Strathmore University

Strathmore Institute of Management and Technology

Strathmore University

Nairobi, Kenya

October, 2020
 Declaration and Approval
I declare that to my knowledge this project has not been previously submitted by any student
within Strathmore University or any other University for the award of a Diploma. The project is
based on improves of other existing systems of the same kind.

Student: Mokua Cyrus

Sign:………………………………. Date:…………………………….

Student: Mugo Victor

Sign:………………………………. Date:…………………………….

Supervisor: Benjamin Mundama

Sign:………………………………. Date:………………………………….

iii
 Abstract
Attachments are important for students to get practical work experience and gain more
knowledge in their fields of study. Attachment application websites have been created to help
connect students with available attachment vacancies. These websites have proved useful in
allocation of attachments to students across the country. However, these websites also have
problems such as crowded markets, long and tedious application process, lack of connection
between universities and firms offering attachments and subscription fees. These problems
facing existing systems have discouraged many students from using attachment application
websites.

The solution therefore is to create a new web-based student attachment application online system
that addresses the problems in existing attachment application systems. The student attachment
application online system will be free of charge, the application process will be less tedious and
it will connect students in universities directly to available attachments. Development of the
student attachment application online system will be done using the incremental methodology.
Using the incremental methodology, the student attachment application online system will be
broken down into various tasks.

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 Table of Contents
Declaration and Approval................................................................................................................ii

Abstract..........................................................................................................................................iii

Table of Contents............................................................................................................................iv
List of Figures.................................................................................................................................vi

List of Abbreviations.....................................................................................................................vii

Chapter 1: Introduction.................................................................................................................1

1.1 Background............................................................................................................................1
1.2 Problem Statement.................................................................................................................2
1.3 General Objective..................................................................................................................2
1.3.1 Specific Objectives..........................................................................................................2
1.4 Justification............................................................................................................................3
1.5 Scope and Limitations..........................................................................................................3
Chapter 2: Literature Review.........................................................................................................4

2.1 Introduction............................................................................................................................4
2.2 Attachments in Kenya............................................................................................................4
2.3 Existing Attachment Systems................................................................................................5
2.3.1 NITA...............................................................................................................................5
2.3.2: LinkedIn.........................................................................................................................7
2.3.3: Fuzu................................................................................................................................9
2.4 Gaps of Existing Systems....................................................................................................11
2.5 Conceptual framework.........................................................................................................11
Chapter 3: Methodology................................................................................................................13

3.1 Introduction..........................................................................................................................13
3.2 System Development Methodology.....................................................................................13
3.2.1 Project Planning............................................................................................................14
3.2.2 Requirements.................................................................................................................14
3.2.3 Analysis and Design......................................................................................................14
3.2.4 Implementation..............................................................................................................14

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 3.2.5 Testing...........................................................................................................................15
3.2.6 Evaluation......................................................................................................................15
3.3 Tools and Techniques to be used.........................................................................................15
Appendix................................................................................................................................17
Appendix A: Gantt chart............................................................................................................17

vi
 List of Figures
Figure 2.1: Screenshot of NITA......................................................................................................6
Figure 2.2: Screenshot of LinkedIn Website...................................................................................8
Figure 2.3: Screenshot of Fuzu Website........................................................................................10
Figure 2.4: Conceptual Framework...............................................................................................12
Figure 3.1: Incremental Methodology...........................................................................................13

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 List of Abbreviations
CSS - Cascading Style Sheet

CV - Curriculum vitae

HTML - Hypertext markup language

KNBS - Kenya National Bureau of Statistics

NITA - National Industry Training Authority

PHP - Hypertext Preprocessor

viii
 Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1 Background
Attachment is a practical training experience that prepares trainees for the tasks they are
expected to perform on completion of their training or studies. Attachments are important
because they give students practical experience, expose them to the demands and challenges of
work place, students also gain work ethics and students develop work-based skills. Attachments
are usually for 3rd year students and higher-level university/college students.

Attachment application systems have been created to help place students in workplaces so that
they can acquire practical skills and proper work ethic. Different applications such have been
created to ease the burden on students who for a long time had to go look for attachment
opportunities on their own.

Before attachment application systems were created everything was done manually. Students
applying for attachments were required to write a CV, get a letter from their universities
recommending them for attachments and a medical insurance. All these documents did not
guarantee that they would get the attachment or even a reply[ CITATION Agn19 \l 1033 ].

A recent study carried out by Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) revealed that there
were 7 million unemployed people across the country, out of this number 4.2 million were
graduates from colleges and universities. Another 1.4 million were sent away because of lack of
experience.

There are websites created that enable students to access attachment opportunities for example
Fuzu[CITATION fuz15 \l 1033 ] and LinkedIn[ CITATION Mbo19 \l 1033 ]. The student attachment
application online system will help connect students better to available attachments in their field
of study. It will also reduce the hurdles of applying for an attachment online by reducing the
number of requirements. Students will only be required to fill in their personal details, level and
their field of study.

1
1.2 Problem Statement
The three most common problems that student attachment application online systems have are
long and tedious processes when applying for attachments, subscription fees to their websites
and lack of connectivity between universities and firms with attachment vacancies. Some student
attachment application websites have high subscription fees. This has discouraged many students
from using available attachment application websites and do it manually.

Another issue is that student attachment application websites have made the process of applying
for attachments long and tedious. A study done by Standard Digital revealed the process students
undergo when applying for attachments using the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA)
website. Students are required to have a letter from the university recommending them for
industrial attachment and a medical insurance. They are also required to present a contract form
signed by the student, National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) and the attachment
provider. The attachment provider, in the presence of National Industrial Training Authority
(NITA) officials, then assesses a student who presents all these documents for
eligibility[ CITATION Aln19 \l 1033 ].

The other problem is that student attachment application websites are not connected to
universities. This has caused a lack of communication between students and firms with available
attachment vacancies. As a result, most students have missed available attachments.

1.3 General Objective

The aim of this project is to build a web-based system that connects students directly to available
attachment vacancies in their field of study.

1.3.1 Specific Objectives

i. To review existing student attachment application online systems
ii. To find the challenges in existing student attachment application online systems
iii. To design the student attachment application online system
iv. To develop the student attachment application online system
v. To test the student attachment application online system

2
1.4 Justification
The student attachment application online system will allow students to apply for attachments
with minimal requirements requested. Students will fill in their personal details, field of study
and upload their resume. The student attachment application online system will not have
subscription fees.
The student attachment application online system will also send the details of the student directly
to the firm offering the attachment and send a conformation to the student. The communication
will also be direct with the firm. The student attachment application online system will also have
an administrator, who will be responsible for updating attachment vacancies and for maintaining
the system.

1.5 Scope and Limitations

The student attachment application online system will connect students from universities with
available attachments. The student attachment application online system will only work if the
students upload their details and that all firms involved update on attachment vacancies. The
student attachment application online system will cover only 4th year or higher-level
University/Colleges students. It will not cover any one who has already graduated.

3
 Chapter 2: Literature Review

2.1 Introduction
This chapter will look back at existing student attachment application online systems. It will also
look at the challenges faced by the different attachment application systems. It will also discuss
how the student attachment application online system will resolve the issues in existing systems.

2.2 Attachments in Kenya

Attachments are structured, credit bearing work experience in a professional work setting during
which the student acquires and applies knowledge and skills. Students usually have a faculty
supervisor who addresses the needs of the student. Students are required to have a logbook for
daily activities.

At the end of the attachment, the student is required to write a final report. The faculty supervisor
also writes about the progress of the student during the attachment. The training supervisor also
reports through a visit or survey.

2.2.1 Challenges Faced

Existing attachment application websites have faced challenges in trying to place students in
available attachments. These include crowded markets, wrong placement of students in
attachments and lack of connectivity between the universities and firms with attachment
vacancies.

Some attachment application websites have an abundance of attachment vacancies for specific
courses and minimal to none for other courses. It is easier for students pursuing science and
business-oriented courses to get attachment than those pursuing humanity-oriented courses such
as counselling psychology, public administration or political science[ CITATION Aln19 \l 1033 ].

Another challenge is that some student attachment application websites, place students in wrong
attachments. Experts say that students find it hard to decide which organizations provide services
in their areas of study. It therefore, becomes difficult for students to know where to start looking
for industrial attachment. When this happens, students find themselves in unrelated fields where
they perform tasks that are unrelated to what they studied in school[ CITATION Var20 \l 1033 ].

4
The other problem is that student attachment application websites are not connected to
universities. This has caused a lack of communication between students and firms with available
attachment vacancies. As a result, most students have missed available attachments.

2.3 Existing Attachment Systems

There are systems that have been created for attachment seekers. They include NITA, Fuzu and
LinkedIn.

2.3.1 NITA
National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) is a state corporation established under the
Industrial Training (Amendment) Act of 2011. The Authority has five industrial training centers
spread across the country. The National Industrial Training authority [NITA] is a newly
established state corporation. It was established under the Industrial Training (Amendment) Act
of 2011. Its mandate is to promote the highest standards in the quality and efficiency of
Industrial Training in Kenya and ensure adequate supply of properly trained labor at all levels in
industry. 

It has been successful in helping students find attachments, but has also faced challenges. These
include stringent industry requirements, slow and lagging website and crowded markets. The
National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) website requires its applicants to provide a
number of documents before placing them in the right attachments. Some users have complained
that this has made the process of applying for attachment long and tedious.

The National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) website is also unreliable. Users have
complained that sometimes it is inaccessible or too slow. This has encouraged many users to
look for other alternatives when applying for attachments[ CITATION myj191 \l 1033 ].

The National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) website provides more attachments
opportunities for courses with high number of students pursuing them as compared to other
courses. Education students face fewer challenges getting an industrial attachment because there
are many schools where they can teach. As a result, the National Industrial Training Authority
(NITA) website has more vacancies for education and less for other courses.

5
Figure 2.1: Screenshot of NITA[ CITATION myj191 \l 1033 ]

6
2.3.2: LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a business and employment-oriented service that operates via websites and mobile
apps. Founded on December 28, 2002, and launched on May 5, 2003, it is mainly used for
professional networking including employers posting jobs and attachment vacancies and job and
attachment seekers posting their CVS (LinkedIn, 2015).

It is a web-based system that works by posting a job or attachment directly on LinkedIn, the
website will present qualified job or attachment seekers with your posting. You can post your
name and your own profile to the listing. Applicants can apply for the attachment directly
through the website, unclogging your own inbox.

However, LinkedIn has faced some issues of which the main one has been the fee charges with
users complaining it is too pricey. It also has dormant profiles, whereby not all profiles created
are updated even after the user has moved on or gotten an attachment.

In addition, LinkedIn has poor communication between all users. This has led to the site being
unreliable. LinkedIn is mostly based on job seekers and not attachment seekers. This has proven
to be an inconvenience because the website will focus on jobseekers more and leave attachment
seekers. They rarely make updates on attachments and leave the profiles dormant for long
periods.

Figure 2.2: Screenshot of LinkedIn Website[ CITATION Mbo19 \l 1033 ]

7
8
2.3.3: Fuzu

Fuzu Limited launched the Fuzu service in Kenya in 2015. Fuzu combines the strengths of the
world-renowned Finnish education and innovation systems with deep understanding of the end-
user, their needs and aspirations in the African context. Fuzu aims to change the landscape of job
and attachment search into an ever-inspiring journey of self-discovery. It is a web-based
application with the main aim of linking job and attachment seekers to available job and
attachments.

Fuzu is designed to carry the attachment seekers beyond disappointments by setting focus on the
future. The system requires the user to insert their skill it will then use that information to match
it with an attachment that requires the defined skill set and qualification (Fuzu, 2015).

However, Fuzu is mostly based on people who have already acquired the necessary requirements
of a job including internship experience. They lack a lot of information on attachments vacancies
and rarely update on any available vacancies. The website puts most of their resources on job
seekers, attachment seekers have found this website useless when looking for attachments. Most
students applying for attachments on this website have gone for months without getting a reply.

Figure 2.3: Screenshot of Fuzu Website[CITATION fuz15 \l 1033 ].

9
2.4 Gaps of Existing Systems
The existing attachment application systems lack choices and only focus on courses with high
number of students undertaking them. This discourages students undertaking different courses
that are not common. Other attachment application websites have subscription fees. Some have
very high prices for their users and therefore discourage students from using these sites. Some of
the systems are rarely updated and end up with dormant accounts. The dormant accounts reduce
the number of available attachment vacancies as the system is not up to date.

The student attachment application is only for one function, which is to link students to available
attachments and enables them acquire the required experience. The student attachment
application online system will also be free for use and will only require connection to the
internet.

2.5 Conceptual framework

The student attachment application online system entities involved are; students, supervisor and
the system administrator. The student creates an account, they then log in. They create a profile
and fill all required fields. The firms’ supervisor in charge of attachments creates an account and
logs into the system.

They upload the available attachment vacancies and also the academic achievements that an
applicant should have, the supervisor also posts his/her name. The student uploads his/her CV to
their attachment choice and waits for a reply. The supervisor in charge of the attachment is able
to view the applications, if an application has been accepted, the supervisor is able to send an
email with details of the attachment. The system administrator is able to make regular updates on
attachment vacancies and maintains the system.

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Figure2.4: Conceptual Framework

11
 Chapter 3: Methodology

3.1 Introduction
This chapter highlights the methodology to be used in development of the student attachment
application online system. The requirements of the student attachment application online system:
functional and non-functional requirements are explained in order to explain how the student
attachment application online system will be developed.

3.2 System Development Methodology

The student attachment application online system will be developed using incremental
methodology. The incremental methodology provides a structured approach to develop
application projects. This will be implemented by dividing the project into modules, stages, steps
and tasks. This will provide a suitable way of managing the project. It will also ensure that the
development process is efficiently managed.[CITATION Gur09 \l 1033 ].

Figure 3.5:
Incremental
Methodology[ CITATION Gur09 \l 1033 ]

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3.2.1 Project Planning
The student attachment application online system will be broken down into four project life
cycles: project initiation, project planning, project execution and project closure. Project
initiation will contain the main objective of the proposed system: connecting students to
attachment vacancies. The next phase, project planning will specify the tools to be used to
develop the student attachment application online system; this will include Java, PHP, MySQL
and HTML. In project execution, the student attachment application online system is developed
using the tools specified in project planning. The student attachment application online system is
then presented to the supervisor for sign off.

3.2.2 Requirements
The student attachment application online system will have three users: student, supervisor and
administrator. All users will be able to sign up, log in and create a profile. In addition, the
supervisor will be able to upload vacancies and review applications. The student will be able to
upload his/her CV and apply for an attachment. The administrator will be able to update
attachment vacancies.

3.2.3 Analysis and Design

System analysis of the student attachment application online system will identify how all users
will interact with the system. It will also break down the student attachment application system
into its different components. System design will describe features and operations of the student
attachment application system in detail, including screen layout. It briefly describes all the
modules and the functionality of these modules.

3.2.4 Implementation
Web applications like Hyper Text Mark-up Language (HTML) and Cascading Style Sheets
(CSS) will be used to develop the web application. Therefore, an internet connectivity will be
necessary when Google servers will host the website. Notepad++ will be used as the web
development platform. PHP will also be used for connectivity to MySQL database.

The student attachment application online system will use PHP language that will be embedded
into HTML5 and CSS to build the system.

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3.2.5 Testing
The student attachment application online system will be tested using incremental testing,
whereby different aspects of student attachment application online system will be tested
separately before assembling.

3.2.6 Evaluation
The student attachment application online system will be run for the first time and all users are
given the opportunity to interact with the system. Feedback is received from all users. All bugs
and errors detected are fixed. Afterwards the student attachment application online system is
deployed.

3.2.7 Deployment
The proposed Student Attachment Application Online System is given to the university to be
used.

3.3 Tools and Techniques to be used

These are all tools that will be used in creation of the Student Attachment Application Online
System.

3.3.1 HTML
This markup language dictates the layout of data on a webpage. HTML will be used to create the
webpages and user interfaces. The language will be used to create the front-end of the student
attachment application online system for users to be able to communicate. It will also allow them
to access their accounts.

3.3.2 PHP
This will connect the user interface in order for them to update on available attachments, the
administrator can be able to update the database through it.

3.3.3 MySQL
This will be used to create the database for the Student Attachment Application Online System.

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3.4 Deliverables

This will include a working Student Attachment Application Online System and its
documentation.

3.4.1 System

This will be a working student attachment application online system with all functionalities
working.

3.4.2 Documentation

This will explain how the student attachment application online system works and the different
roles of all users.

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 References
Alneah, Agnes;. (2019). Challenges students face in search of industrial attachment. Standard
media.

Mbogua, A. (2019). Internship vs Attachment. Capitalfm.

Mohamed, A. (2012). Software Development Life Cycle Models and Methodologies. Melsatar
blog.

Muthoni, L. (2019). Jobs,internships and attachments in Kenya. myjobmag.

Oriwo, E. (2018, February 26). Applying for jobs,internships and attachments. Fuzu.

STAR. (2018, March 25). Retrieved from The star: https://www.the-

star.co.ke/classifieds/jobs/attachment-opportunities-in-kenya.htm

Varoglu, Alli;. (2020). Attachment placement. Nita oganisation blog.

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 Appendix

Appendix A: Gantt chart

Project
proposal
Chapter 1,2,3

Gather system
requirements
System
Development
System analysis
Evaluation of
system
Implementation
Of system

Present the
system
Project
Documentation

17