For many Nigerian students, the Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) is one of the first opportunities to experience what working life actually looks like. After spending years attending lectures, writing assignments and preparing for examinations, students are placed in organisations where they are expected to apply some of what they have learnt in school.
However, SIWES or industrial training is more than a requirement for graduation. It can introduce students to workplace culture, professional communication, teamwork, problem-solving and the expectations of employers. The experience can also help students understand whether the career they are studying towards is truly suitable for them.
Unfortunately, some students approach industrial training as something they simply need to complete, rather than an opportunity to learn. As a result, they make mistakes that can reduce the value of the experience and sometimes affect their academic assessment.
Here are some of the common mistakes students make during SIWES and industrial training, and why avoiding them can make the experience more useful.
1. Treating SIWES Like a Holiday
One of the biggest mistakes students make is approaching industrial training with the mindset that it is simply a break from school. Because they are temporarily away from lectures and examinations, some students assume they have fewer responsibilities.
The workplace, however, operates differently from the university environment. Students are expected to arrive on time, follow instructions, complete assigned tasks and behave professionally. Treating the placement casually can quickly create a poor impression. SIWES is an opportunity to experience professional life before graduation, so students should approach it with the seriousness they would give an actual job.
2. Choosing a Placement Without Thinking About Their Career
Some students accept any available placement simply because they want to complete the SIWES requirement. While finding a suitable organisation can sometimes be difficult, choosing a placement that has little connection with a student’s course or career interests can limit what they gain from the experience.
For example, an Information Management student who spends the entire training period doing unrelated administrative tasks may complete the required period but gain little practical experience in information systems or data management.
Students should therefore consider the kind of skills they want to develop when looking for a placement. Where possible, the organisation should expose them to activities that connect with their academic discipline and future career plans.
3. Being Afraid to Ask Questions
Students sometimes remain silent because they are afraid that asking questions will make them look unintelligent. In reality, SIWES is designed to provide practical learning, and students cannot be expected to know everything before they arrive.
A student who does not understand how a particular system works should ask for clarification rather than pretend to understand. Asking thoughtful questions shows curiosity and a willingness to learn.
However, students should also learn to observe before asking questions. Paying attention to instructions and attempting to understand a task first makes questions more meaningful and shows respect for the time of supervisors and colleagues.
4. Arriving Late and Leaving Without Permission
Punctuality is one of the simplest ways students can demonstrate professionalism during industrial training.
Repeated lateness can create the impression that a student is careless or does not take the placement seriously. The same applies to leaving the workplace without permission, missing assigned duties or frequently requesting time off without a valid reason.
Students should remember that organisations have schedules and responsibilities that depend on their employees being available. SIWES may be a temporary placement, but the professional habits developed during the period can influence how supervisors remember the student.
5. Using Their Phones Excessively
Mobile phones are useful workplace tools, but excessive personal phone use can become a problem during industrial training.
A student who spends long periods scrolling through social media, watching videos or chatting with friends during working hours may appear uninterested, even when they have completed some assigned tasks.
Students should understand the workplace’s expectations regarding phone use. If a phone is required for a work-related task, that is different from using it for personal entertainment. Learning when to put the phone away is part of developing workplace discipline.
6. Refusing Tasks Because They Are “Not My Job”
Another common mistake is rejecting tasks because they do not appear directly connected to a student’s course.
Students should not be expected to perform inappropriate or unrelated duties indefinitely, but they should also understand that workplace learning can involve activities outside their immediate area of study. A simple administrative task may teach organisation, communication or attention to detail.
The important thing is to maintain a balance. Students should be willing to learn and assist where appropriate, while also ensuring that their placement provides meaningful exposure to their field.
A student who approaches every reasonable task with “that is not my job” may miss opportunities to demonstrate reliability.
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7. Failing to Keep a Proper SIWES Logbook
The SIWES logbook is not simply a document to be completed shortly before submission. It provides a record of what the student did and learnt during the training period.
Some students make the mistake of writing everything at the end because they failed to record their activities regularly. This can result in forgotten details, inaccurate dates and vague descriptions of their experience.
Keeping the logbook updated makes it easier to remember tasks, skills and lessons from each period of the training. It can also help students prepare for their SIWES report and assessment.
Rather than seeing the logbook as paperwork, students should treat it as a record of their professional development.
8. Failing to Build Relationships at the Workplace
SIWES can introduce students to people who already work in their chosen field. Yet some students complete their placement without making meaningful professional connections.
This does not mean students should behave as though they are attending a networking event every day. Simple actions such as introducing themselves properly, showing respect, listening to experienced colleagues and maintaining professional communication can help build positive relationships.
A supervisor who remembers a student as hardworking and respectful may later provide advice, a recommendation or information about an employment opportunity. For students approaching graduation, these relationships can become valuable professional connections.
9. Being Afraid to Make Mistakes
Students sometimes become so concerned about making mistakes that they avoid taking responsibility for tasks. While carelessness should certainly be avoided, making mistakes is a normal part of learning.
What matters is how the student responds. A student who makes an error, accepts responsibility, asks how to correct it and learns from the experience demonstrates maturity. On the other hand, hiding mistakes or blaming colleagues can damage trust.
SIWES provides students with an environment where they can learn under supervision. They should therefore take reasonable opportunities to practise new skills while paying attention to instructions and seeking help when necessary.
10. Leaving Without Reflecting on What They Learnt
Some students finish their industrial training, collect their documents and immediately forget about the experience. This means they lose one of the most valuable parts of SIWES: reflection.
Students should think about the skills they developed, the challenges they encountered and the aspects of their chosen career that surprised them. They should also consider what they still need to learn before graduation.
For example, a student may discover that employers expect strong communication and digital skills in addition to knowledge of their academic discipline. Another may realise that they enjoy a particular area of their field more than they expected.
Reflecting on these lessons can help students make better decisions about courses, certifications, internships, employment and career development.
The value of SIWES goes beyond fulfilling a university requirement. The programme was established to bridge the gap between classroom learning and practical workplace experience. For many students, it is their first opportunity to see how theories and concepts from lectures are applied in real organisations.
This is especially important in a competitive employment environment where employers often look beyond academic qualifications. A degree can demonstrate that a student has completed a programme of study, but practical experience can provide evidence of how that person performs in a workplace.
Industrial training can also expose students to professional expectations that are difficult to teach entirely in a classroom. Communication, punctuality, teamwork, adaptability, customer relations and workplace etiquette are learnt partly through experience.
For this reason, students should avoid measuring the success of their SIWES only by whether they receive a good assessment. The more important question is what they can do at the end of the placement that they could not do before it began.
Students can make SIWES more valuable by approaching it as an extended learning opportunity rather than an academic obligation.
They should observe how experienced professionals perform their duties, take notes, ask relevant questions and volunteer for suitable tasks. Where possible, they can also request exposure to different departments or processes related to their field.
In addition, students should pay attention to workplace problems and how professionals solve them. This can develop practical thinking that is difficult to acquire through textbooks alone.
The experience can also become useful when preparing a CV. Rather than simply writing that they completed SIWES, students can describe specific responsibilities, tools, projects and skills they gained during the placement.
For example, “completed industrial training” says very little about what a student can do. Describing experience with data entry, customer records, software applications, research, equipment, documentation or other relevant responsibilities gives potential employers a clearer picture of the student’s abilities.
SIWES and industrial training give Nigerian students an important opportunity to experience the realities of professional life before graduation. However, the value of the experience depends largely on how students approach it.
Treating the placement casually, arriving late, avoiding questions, using phones excessively, refusing reasonable tasks and neglecting the SIWES logbook can all reduce the benefits of the programme. In contrast, students who remain curious, punctual, respectful and willing to learn can leave their placement with more than a completed requirement.
Industrial training should not simply be a period that students endure until they return to campus. It should be a chance to discover how their field works, identify their strengths and weaknesses, build professional relationships and develop skills that can make the transition from university to employment easier.
Ultimately, the best SIWES experience is not necessarily the one where a student spends the most time in an office. It is the one where the student finishes with practical knowledge, stronger professional habits and a clearer understanding of what they want to do after graduation.