SIWES vs IT: What Is the Difference?

SIWES and IT usually mean the same thing. IT stands for industrial training, the general name for supervised work experience you complete while you study, and SIWES is the Nigerian scheme under which most students complete it. Schools use the two words in different ways, so the useful question is not which word is correct but what your department requires.

What is SIWES?

SIWES stands for the Students' Industrial Work Experience Scheme. It is a skills-training programme run by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), which introduced it in 1973. It places students of eligible science, technology, engineering and related courses in workplaces so that classroom theory meets real practice. It covers students of universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.

What is IT (industrial training)?

"IT" is how many students, and some schools, refer to their industrial training placement. It is not a different programme with different rules. If your department says "you will go for IT in 300 level" it almost always means your SIWES placement.

So are SIWES and IT the same?

For most students, yes. What changes from one institution to another is not the name but the arrangements around it:

• How long the placement lasts, and when in your course it takes place

• Whether it is one block or more than one placement (for example one after the National Diploma and one after the Higher National Diploma)

• Whether you must choose from approved placement providers or may find your own

• The logbook format, and the layout of the industrial training report

• How you are assessed: supervisor evaluation, a visit from your institution, a defence

What to confirm with your SIWES coordinator

Whatever your school calls it, ask the SIWES coordinator or read the SIWES handbook for these five things before you accept a placement:

1. The exact duration, with the start and end dates. See how long SIWES lasts.

2. Whether the placement must be approved by the institution first.

3. The logbook and report format your department uses, and when they are due. See the SIWES logbook and report guide for Computer Science students.

4. How the defence or assessment works.

5. Whether you can expect an allowance, and from whom. See whether SIWES students get paid.

What a good placement gives you, whichever word you use

• Real, supervised work in your own field, not only observation

• A logbook that your supervisor signs regularly, because it records real tasks

• Material for an honest industrial training report

• Skills and projects you can show, which matter more to an employer than the placement's name

IMT Computers' SIWES and industrial training placement in Lagos is built around exactly that for Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering and IT students, and any student interested in coding and building websites: a Front-End, Back-End or Full-Stack web development track for 3 or 6 months, support with your logbook and report, and a certificate at the end. To compare options first, read where to do SIWES in Lagos and the best SIWES placement for Computer Science students, and when you are ready, see how to apply for SIWES and get your acceptance letter.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is SIWES compulsory?

SIWES is a requirement for students of the courses it covers, mostly science, technology, engineering and related programmes. Your department will tell you whether yours is one of them, and how much time you must complete.

Is polytechnic IT the same as university SIWES?

Both fall under SIWES, which covers universities, polytechnics and colleges of education. The period, the paperwork and the assessment differ by institution, so follow your own school's guidelines.

Who runs SIWES?

The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) runs the scheme. Your institution's SIWES unit or coordinator manages it for you, and the placement provider supervises your work.

Can I find my own SIWES placement?

Some institutions let students find their own placement and some require approval first, so ask your SIWES coordinator before you accept an offer.