A passionate appeal has gone to industries in the country to stop the rejection of undergraduates posted to their firms for industrial training. The Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, FUTA Professor Adebiyi Daramola stated this while receiving officials of the Industrial Training Fund/Students Industrial Working Experience Scheme (ITF/SIWES) who were in FUTA for the Ekiti /Ondo axis Zonal quarterly meeting.

The Vice-Chancellor, represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Adedayo Fasakin, lamented the experience students have when they are rejected by some industries which often cause them to lose a number of months in the 6-months period of the training. He also urged the ITF management to look into the issue of prompt and timely payment of the stipend due to students to avoid unnecessary agitation and crisis. The Vice Chancellor commended the role of the ITF in building students for the future and expressed his delight in the cordial relationship FUTA has enjoyed with ITF.

In her response, the Head of Training, Industrial Training Fund, Mrs. Martina Okpere-Ampofo expressed the delight of ITF to FUTA for the support received from the institution over the years and promised to convey the message of the management to the headquarters for appropriate actions. She further promised continuous cordial relationship with FUTA.

Declaring the conference open, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Development), Professor Tolulope Akinbogun said SIWES programme is central to FUTA’s operations. His words “To us in FUTA, we cannot afford to handle the SIWES programme with levity and management will continue to support the programme to enable students benefit maximally, so they can be more productive, and established in their chosen career”.

In his welcome address Professor Zacheaus Opafunso, the Director, Industrial Training Unit, FUTA commended the tremendous impact of the scheme through the bridging of the gap between theory and practice in training students in higher institutions. According to him “the Industrial Training Unit which constitutes a vital and integral part of the training of undergraduates is the only Unit that links all students to industries, ministries, parastatals and research institutes irrespective of their course of study”.

He further said FUTA Industrial Training Unit has often partnered other Centres of the institution like the Centre for Research and Development (CERAD), Centre for Gender Issues in Technology (CEGIST) and the Alumni Office so as to build future entrepreneurs.

Professor Opafunso commended the management team of FUTA under the leadership of the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adebiyi Daramola for the continuous support the Unit is receiving and also appreciated the officials of the Industrial Training Fund for their roles in building entrepreneurship skills in students of higher institutions for the future.

The conference had in attendance senior academic and non-academic staff of FUTA and SIWES coordinators from Ondo and Ekiti States.