STUDENTS’ INDUSTRIAL WORK EXPERIENCE SCHEME DURING CORONA VIRUSEPIDEMIC AND STUDENTS EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS IN UNIVERSITIES IN NORTHCENTRAL AND SOUTH-WESTERN NIGERIA

Abstract

The study examined Students’ Industrial Work Experience Scheme during corona virus epidemic and
students employability skills in universities in North-central and South-western Nigeria. The study sought
answer to three research questions. Descriptive survey research design was used for the study. The
population of the study was 1,619 business education students in public universities in North-central and
South-western States, Nigeria. The entire population was used for the study. Questionnaire on Influence of
SIWES on Students’ Employability Skills (QISIWESSES) with Cronbach alpha reliability of 0.93 was used
for data collection. Mean and standard deviation score was used to analyze the research questions. The
findings of the study indicated that SIWES positively influence business education students’
communication skill, teamwork skill and problem-solving skill to high extent during Corona Virus
Epidemic. Based on the findings, the following are recommended among others; The industrial training
should be more organized to sufficiently meet the practical needs of students. There is therefore very
serious need for the stakeholders: universities, ITF and training establishments to collaborate more to
strengthen the scheme. These stakeholders should be involved in the programme from the placement to the
actual training period