Collaboration between Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) institutions and manufacturing companies in tackling skills shortage in Cross River state

Cross River State is characterized with dominance of manufacturing and company industries which have contributed to the state through skill development. This study examines the collaboration between students work experience scheme (SIWES) institutions and manufacturing companies in tackling skills shortages in Cross River State. Two research questions were raised to guide the study. The study adopted a correlational research survey design. The sample for the study were 81 lecturers/instructors and 52 manufacturing companies workers which were carefully selected through multistage stratified sampling technique. The instrument for data collection was a self-structured questionnaire tagged “SIWES Institutions Collaborating with Manufacturing Companies for Skills Shortage (SICMCSS)” and data were collected by the researchers. A reliability coefficient of 0.88 was established for the study through split-half method. The study revealed that provision of training equipment, training and retraining of SIWES personnel, absorption of SIWES student for industrial attachment, provision of adequate fund and provision of training workshops to SIWES institutions are some of the roles of manufacturing companies in tackling skills shortage in Cross River State and hence a positive relationship exist between manufacturing companies and SIWES institutions in Cross River State. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that the synergy between manufacturing companies and SIWES institutions should be improve, employment in manufacturing companies should be based on skills, SIWES trainees should be absorbed by the companies for employment and so on.