CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF SIWES

The Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) was first established

in 1973 by Industrial Training Fund (ITF) with the aim of exposing student in

tertiary institutes to professional work methods and ways of safe guarding the

work area and workers in industries.

As a federal parasternal ITF was established in1971 and charged with the

responsibility of generating a pool of indigenous trained man power sufficient

to meet the need of the economy and promotion and incorporating the

acquisition skills.

AIM OF SIWES

The effort is aimed at helping/training students in the Nigerian tertiary

institutions the practical aspect of their field of study by exposing students to

machines and equipment, professional work methods and ways of safeguarding

the work areas and workers in industries and other organizations.

OBJECTIVES OF SIWES

The Industrial Training Fund’s policy Document No. 1 of 1973 which

established SIWES outlined the objectives of the scheme. The objectives are to:

1. It provides an avenue for students in institutions of higher learning to acquire

industrial skills and experience during their course of study.

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 2. It exposes Students to work methods and techniques in handling equipment

and machinery that may not be available in their institutions. 3. It makes the

transition from school to the world of work easier and enhance students’

contact for later job placements and a chance to evaluate companies for which

they might wish to work.

4. It provides students with the opportunities to apply their educational

knowledge in real work and industrial situations, there by bridging the gap

between theory and practice.

5. The program teaches the students on how to interact effectively with other

workers and supervisors under various conditions in the organization.

1.1 ORGANIZATION PROFILE

The Ministry of Works is a Professional Service Ministry charged with the

responsibility of providing Technical Services such has Design, Construction

and Maintenance of State Roads, and provision of Mechanical and Electrical

Services. It also renders Professional advice to other arms of Government on

Technical matters.

VISION

A Ministry where its staff are faithful in carrying out their professional duties

in line with the physical policies of Government thereby giving value for

money in the executive of infrastructural development in the state.

MISSION

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The Ministry of Works will remain committed in the implementation of

projects in the areas of design, construction and supervision of projects to the

state Government as it seeks to provide Engineering facilities for the economic

progress of its people.

FUNCTIONS OF THE MINISTRY

As earlier stated the Ministry is a professional Ministry and has the following

functions:

1. Design of highways

2. Construction and Supervision of State Roads, Bridges and their

Maintenance

3. The repairs, Servicing, Maintenance of road construction plants,

vehicles and generating sets.

4. Maintenance of Electrical Installations, Equipment and appliances in

Government Buildings.

5. The Ministry also serves as the technical adviser and supervisor of other

Ministries, and Government Departments in their areas of Civil

Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering

Projects. Even though each department is charged with specific

responsibilities and Functions, there is always a good deal of co-

operation in ensuring effective utilization of available manpower for

successful implementation of all Government Programmers.

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STRUCTURES OF THE MINISTRY

The Commissioner is the head and Chief Executive of the Ministry and is

assisted by the Permanent Secretary who is the administrative head and, the

accounting officer. The Commissioner is a member of the State executive

council, Member of the State finance, General-purpose committee and ex-

officio member of under listed Government Boards and parastatals.

 Plateau State Road Maintenance Agency.

 Governing Council Plateau State Polytechnic B/Ladi.

 Governing Council College of Education Gindiri

The Ministry of Works has for administrative convenience been divided into

the following departments:

 Administrative Department

 Civil Engineering Department

 Electrical Engineering Department

 Mechanical Engineering Department

 Finance and Supplies Department

 Planning, Research and Statistics Department

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1.2 ORGANIZATION CHART

1.4 ACHIEVEMENTS

MAINTENANCE AND CONSTRUCTION OF FEDERAL ROADS IN

THE STATE

As part of its intervention efforts, the Plateau State Government in conjunction

with the controller, Federal Ministry of Works and Federal Roads Maintenance

Agency executed maintenance works on the following roads:

1. Mararaban Jama’a – British American Junction Road (22km)

2. Bauchi Road (8km)

3. Bukuru – k. Vom Road (7.5km)

4. Gg

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 5. Dualization of Polo Roundabout – Farin Gada and construction of

flyover at Rukuba Junction.

1.5 PROBLEMS OF THE ORGANIZATION

 Failed to perform the work according to schedule

 Lack of enough staff for project supervision

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 CHAPTER TWO

2.0 DETAILS OF ATTACHMENT

On reporting to Ministry of works and transport, I report to the head of

department who introduce me to other students on training and later handed us

over to based supervisor who walks us around workshop showing us different

types of machines, their uses and how they being operated. He later introduced

us to staff and workers. He also told us about the safety precaution needed to be

taken, and the rules and regulations of the organization.

In the process of the attachment, the home based supervisor assigned us to

different staffs in the organization that would be in charge of teaching us some

basic techniques and how to handle some certain machine and equipment

2.1 DEPARTMENT ATTACHED TO

I was attached to the Civil Engineering Department of the organization

2.2 NATURE OF WROK ON SITE

I was posted to site by Ministry of Works and transport Plateau State, under

engineer Monday Dateer, they contractors were Champion Global Limited

which they were award the contract to carry out the rehabilitation and

maintenance of one for the (Road A), ATMN (Road B), and DB Zang (Road C)

at Bukuru Jos South Plateau State and the following were activities done during

the Industrial Training:

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 DRAINAGE SYSTEM

One of the most important aspects of the design of a road is the provision made

for protecting the road from surface water or ground water. If water is allowed

to enter the structure of the road, the pavement will be weakened and it will be

much more susceptible to damage by traffic. The road surface must be

constructed with a sufficient camber or cross fall to shed rainwater quickly.

Activities involved in the construction of the drainage systems on site were;

1. Planning and Design: Determine the location and dimensions of the line drain

based on factors such as the road gradient, drainage requirements, and local

regulations.

2. Clearing and Excavation: the area alongside the road where the line drain will

be constructed was cleared and they excavated the soil to a specified depth of

0.6m and width of 1.4m for the drain.

Excavated drain trench

3. Drain water flow determination: Levels were been taken at various points with

the purpose of obtaining a satisfaction drain water flow. This was conducted by

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 the surveyor with the use of surveying instruments such as dumpy level, pegs

and leveling staff.

Leveling staff on a peg Automatic level

4. Blinding: blinding was done on the surface area in other to correct any

irregularity in the level of the bed of the excavated surface and to provide a

smooth, level and regular surface for block work

Blinding of line drain

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5. Block work: 9 inches blocks was laid on the blinded surface for the

construction of the line drain walls and was filled with weak concrete of ratio

1:5:10

Block work and infilling

6. Capping : Formwork was done on the top of the line drain walls and the cap

was casted

Formwork for capping

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7. Plastering : This is the finishing, which thin coat (mortar) was applied on the

walls of the drain

 EARTH WORKS

The term Earthworks refers to the removal or placement of soils and other

excavated material during construction. This includes digging, filling, grading

and compaction to create stable surface that won’t require constant

maintenance or repairs down the line

 FILLING AND GRADING

Laterite is filled into the cut portion of the road and compacted using sheep

foot roller and smooth wheel roller. Laterite is a deep brown soil of cellular

structure, easy to excavate, but gets hardened on exposure to air owing to the

formation of hydrated iron oxides, and the grader leveled the road by cutting

places that were too high and filling place that needed filling and was

compacted

Grading

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 SUB-BASE COURSE CONSTRUCTION

The sub-base material was laid on top of the compacted sub-grade by a grader.

This layer is made up of laterite

 SPRAYING OF WATER AND COMPACTION OF SUB-BASE COURSE

Water was sprayed on the sub-base material to give it the required moisture just

enough to allow maximum compaction. This was done by water truck, after

water was sprayed on the sub-base material, it was then compacter by a smooth

wheeled roller to a thickness of 0.15m

Compaction of laterite

 BASE CONSTRUCTION

The base course material was laid on top of the compacted sub-base by a grader

to provide addition support for the road. This layer is made up of stone base

(aggregate and stone dust)

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 Grading of stone base

 SPRAYING OF WATER AND COMPACTION BASE COURSE

Water is sprayed on the stone base to give it the required moisture just enough

to allow maximum compaction, and was compacted by a double drum roller

Watering and compaction of stone base

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 PRIMING

This is the spraying of MC1 (Medium curing) on the surface of the prepared

base course material (stone base). After spraying the MC1, it was allowed for

about 1-hour to allow it penetrate into the base course material. The spraying

rate was 0.9 -1.1 per square meter at a temperature of 80 oC - 100oC. MC1 is a

mixture of 30% of kerosene and 75% of bitumen. After applying MC1, it was

allowed to cure for a minimum of 48 to 72 hours before asphalt was placed.

Priming

 BLINDING

After application of MC1 (prime coat), sharp sand and quarry dust was applied

on the road to remove air voids in the MC1 and to allow vehicles to use the

roads without the MC1 sticking to their tires

 PAVEMENT CONSTRUCTION

The pavement is the top course of the road that carries traffic. It is typically

made of asphalt and is designed to withstand the weight of vehicles and

provide a smooth driving surface.

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 LAYING OF ASPHALT

Asphalt laying involves spreading hot asphalt mix over a prepared surface, then

compacting it to create a smooth, durable roadway. Asphalt is a mixture of dark

bituminous pitch with sand and gravel used for road pavement and hot mixed

asphalt is manufactured at temperatures between 270 o F and 325o F, depending

on the environmental conditions and the distance from the hot mix plant to the

site. Laying of the asphalt was done by a paver, and a dump truck was used to

transport and feed the paver the asphalt. The asphalt was laid at a thickness of

0.05m and was compacted to 0.04m by a smooth wheeled roller and after that,

a pneumatic rubber tire roller was used to smooth out the asphalt.

A paver worker working on laid asphalt

Compaction of laid asphalt

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2.3 RELEVANCE OF ASSIGNMENT TO STUDENT

The relevance of the assignment I carried out during the Industrial Training is

that it exposed me to the practical knowledge of what was taught in class and I

learnt a lot. It also further enlightened me to be industrious and widened the

understanding of my course.

Also, it gave me a clear picture of what is expected of me as a working staff

and set my mind on how to work and observe safety rules and regulations of

the work. The Industrial training has taught me time management and

punctuality to work.

2.4 EXPERIENCE GAINED DURING THE INDUSTRIAL TRAINING

During my industrial training with Ministry of works and transport, I achieved

a lot of things I didn’t even expect and I believe it’s the main aim of SIWES.

The training has enlightened me on safety rules and regulations to be observed

when operating in the field and also how to use basic tools and also how to

protect myself from hazard.

And most of all, I experienced love, friendship and humility from the staff of

the organization and also my colleagues.

Other experiences gained during the period of my training include:

 I learnt more on how to read a tape

 I learnt more about fixing of reinforcement

 I learnt more on construction of slap

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  I learnt more about survey instruments like dumpy level, leveling staff and

wheel tapes

 I learnt more on selection of materials for construction

 I learnt more on earth moving plants

 I learnt more on components of road

 I learnt more on sub-grade preparation

 I learnt more on site survey

2.5 PROMBLEMS ENCOUNTERED

The following are certain problems faced by the organization

 The machines in the organization care outdated which reduce the

accuracy of the work done therefore its need to be change or upgraded

 Breakdowns of construction equipment which led to delay of the project

until repairs were made

 Shortages of construction material like asphalt, concrete etc which led to

delay in completion of the project

 Managing traffic flow around the construction site was challenging

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 CHAPTER THREE

3.1 SUMMARY

In view of working experience and practical knowledge I gained in the course

of my Industrial Training with the Industrial Training Fund (ITF). I am

acquainted with the working skills and techniques of the course of my study

which has automatically placed me above average.

I am now more technically sound than when I left school, the training has

blended theory with practical for me, and I observed that Civil Engineers use

their conceptual design method to build a structure for safety, stability,

economy and durability. But at the same time supervising the project closely to

make sure it is being executed exactly the way the design was and plan.

3.2 CONCLUSION

Theory with practical is the best way of studying. I had the opportunity to see

practical application of what I learned in my classes that comprises of use of

earth moving equipment’s use in excavation, grading, compaction, spreading of

MC1, asphalt laying etc. This experience made it possible for me to relate what

I was taught in class with exactly what is happening on site. I therefore

conclude that SIWES is of great benefit to students in tertiary institutions and

the program is encouraging and shouldn’t stop.

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3.3 RECOMMENDATION

In view of the relevance of the SIWES program, it is important that it is

sustained by the government through the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) as it

exposes the student to work tools, facilities, and equipment that may not be

available in their respective institutions in relation to their course of study. To

this end, I recommend that the following under-listed points should be

implemented:

 Students’ Industrial Works Experience Scheme (SIWES) needs to be

strengthened by all concerned stakeholder in order for its objectives to

be fully realized.

 Regular monthly allowances for students on attachment should be paid

promptly.

 Organizations should always accept students for SIWES and

subsequently assign them to relevant jobs. Experience staff should

always be made to train the students on attachment

 There should be more funding of the scheme by the government in order

for it to be more effective

 More organizations should participate in the training of students by

participating in the SIWES program to further the Nigerian education.

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