THE STUDENTS’ INDUSTRIAL WORK EXPERIENCE SCHEME (SIWES)

TECHNICAL REPORT DONE

AT

SEMAJ CONSTRUCTION

OPPOSITE TARABA STATE UNIVERSITY JALINGO, ATC BAKASI

SUBMITTED

BY

ISHAYA ZAWATI TIPPI

REG NO. CTE/17U/5628

DEPARTMENT OF CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION

MODIBO ADAMA UNIVERSITY, YOLA

ADAMAWA STATE

IN

PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR

THE AWARD OF B. TECH. DEGREE IN CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY

FEBRUARY, 2023
 CERTIFICATION

This is to certify that this report is original to the author, ISHAYA ZAWATI
TIPPI of the Department of Construction Technology Education, Faculty of
Science and Technology Education, Modibo Adama University, Yola,
Adamawa State and was supervised accordingly by;

Bldr. Ayo Akinpade

Signature _________________
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I am thankful to Almighty God for His inspiration, guidance and strength
throughout the course of this work.
I am very grateful to my beloved Father Late Mr. Ishaya Tippi and His
Loving Wife Mrs. Mary Ishaya Tippi; my Siblings for their dearest Love and
Support in my course of study.
I also express my earnest gratitude to the members of staff of Construction
Technology Department, Modibo Adama University, Yola for the guidance and
knowledge instilled upon me during the course of my SIWES programme and to
all members of staff of Semaj Construction who gave me training and provided
a conducive environment for the exercise.
 ABSTRACT
I was attached to SEMAJ Construction, which had some ongoing works and
supervision of some building constructions, such as; building of Departments.
This report is therefore an illustration of the nature of works and activities
carried out on the construction site and the nature of works done during the
course of the industrial programme. It also provides a detailed principle of
building construction and some aspects of Health and Safety Environment in
reference to building Construction and how they are applied practically in the
construction of buildings.
TABLE OF CONTENT
Title page i
Cover page ii
Certification iii
Acknowledgement iv
Abstract v
Table of contents vi

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
SIWES Background 1
1.1 Objectives of SIWES 1
1.2 Bodies involved in the management of SIWES 2
1.3 Background of Establishment. 3

CHAPTER 2:
2.0 Work experience during attachment 8
2.1 Introduction to construction materials, equipment and machineries. 8
2.2 Foundation works.
2.3 Block work 16
2.5 Lintels 16
2.6 Ground beam
2.7 Maintenance and repair of roofs 17

CHAPTER 3
3.1 Problems encountered during period of attachment
CHAPTER 4
4.1 Recommendation 22
References 23
 CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
STUDENT INDUSTRIAL WORK EXPERIENCE SCHEME (SIWES)

BACKGROUND
In the earlier stage of science and technology education in Nigeria, students
were graduating from their respective institutions without any technical
knowledge or working experience. It was in this view that students undergoing
science and technology related courses were mandated for students in different
institution in view of widening their horizons so as to enable them have
technical knowledge or working experience before graduating from their
various institutions. The Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES)
was established by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) in 1973 to enable students
of tertiary institution have technical knowledge of industrial work base on their
course of study before the completion of their program in their respective
institutions. The scheme was designed to expose students to industrial
environment and enable them develop occupational competencies so that they
can readily contribute their quota to national economic and technological
development after graduation. The major background behind the embarkment of
students in SIWES was to expose them to the industrial environment and enable
them develop occupational competencies so that they can readily contribute
their quota to national economic and technological development after
graduation. The major benefit accruing to students who participate
conscientiously in Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) are
the skills and competencies they acquire. The relevant production skills remain
a part of the recipients of industrial 1 training as life-long assets which cannot
be taken away from them. This is because the knowledge and skills acquired
through training are internalized and become relevant when required to perform
jobs or functions.

1.1 OBJECTIVES
The Industrial Training Funds policy Document No. 1 of 1973 which
established SIWES outlined the objectives of the scheme. The objectives are
to:
1. Provide an avenue for students in higher institutions of learning to
acquire industrial skills and experiences during their course of study.
2. Prepare students for industrial work situations that they are likely to
meet after graduation.
3. Expose students to work methods and techniques in handling
equipment and machinery that may not be available in their
institutions.
4. Make the transition from school to the world of work easier and
enhance students’ contacts for later job placements.
5. Provide students with the opportunities to apply their educational
knowledge in real work situations, thereby bridging the gap between
theory and practice.
6. Enlist and strengthen employers’ involvement in the entire
educational process and prepare students for employment in Industry
and Commerce (Information and Guideline for SIWES, 2002).

1.2 BODIES INVOLVED IN THE MANAGEMENT OF SIWES

The bodies involved are:
 The Federal Government.
 Industrial Training Fund (ITF).
Other supervising agents are:
  National University Commission (NUC)
 National Board for Technical Education (NBTE)
 National Council for Colleges of Education (NCE) The functions of
these Agencies above include;
 Establish SIWES and accredit SIWES unit in the approved
institutions.
 Formulate policies and guideline for participating bodies and
institutions as well as appointing SIWES coordinators and supporting
staff.
 Supervise students at their places of attachment and sign their lob-
book and IT forms.
 Ensure payment of allowances for the students and supervisors. 
Ensure adequate funding of the scheme.

1.3 BACKGROUND OF ESTABLISHMENT

The University Of Lagos, Works And Physical Planning Unit was
established in May 1982 as the University's 'Internal Consultants Unit' to
advice on capital projects and liaise with external consultants, where
necessary. Within the framework of an NUC approved master plan, the Unit
prepares development programmes, and monitors and co-ordinates physical
development activities for the University. The implementation of the
University master-plan is a major responsibility of the Unit. Hence, it
ensures that any development within the University strictly conform with
the provisions of the master-plan while allowing for flexibility where
necessary. Consequently, it guarantees maximum and efficient utilization of
scarce land resources to meet the University's long term aspirations. With its
professional staff, the Unit reviews University's building stock and
infrastructural facilities to determine performance. For future purposes and
development, the University had adopted two types of academic buildings.
They are the Arts-type building and the Science and Technology-type
buildings. The former accommodates faculties such as Arts, Social Science,
Business Administration, etc. while the latter is structured to meet the needs
of faculties such as Science, Environmental Sciences, Engineering, etc. This
is in cognizance of the 60:40 ratios for Science/Technology and Arts
number of students as recommended by NUC. The Unit is headed by a
Director, who is responsible to the Vice Chancellor.
 CHAPTER TWO

2.0 WORK EXPERIENCED DURING ATTACHMENT

I was introduced by my industrial based supervisor to the SEMAJ
Construction. I was also introduced to the construction of a new university
Departments. My duties were to observe work progress carried out on site,
report and make sure the works were done according to the specification of
the building plans.

2.1 INTRODUCTION TO SITE MATERIALS, EQUIPMENT AND

MACHINERIES
In the process of my work experience program I was introduced to various
materials, equipment and machineries used in the construction and
development of a building.

MATERIALS
Example of materials used in building construction is as follows;
Cement: This is a powdered substance that develops strong adhesive
properties when mixed with water. It is used in Block work, Plastering,
Rendering and Concreting. The establishment of Cement is achieved by
burning a mixture of clay and chalk or limestone in a kiln. A proportion of
the raw materials in a definite proportion are converted into liquid state by
grinding, mixing and watering, termed Slurry. The slurry is then conveyed
through a set of pipes to rotary kiln which dry and burn the constituent in a
high temperature to form hard lumps. This process changes the slurry to
hard lumps called Clinker, which afterwards pass on through a conveyor
belt to the grinding mills for grinding to a fine powder in its final process.
During the final grinding, small quantity of gypsum of between 2 and 5% of
the whole materials is added to retard the setting time. Tests are usually
carried out on the finished product occasionally to ensure high quality. This
process is mainly on Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) used for general
purposes. There are other types of cement made for special purposes,
including Rapid Hardening Portland Cement (RHPC), Sulphate resisting
Portland cement and Low Heat Portland Cement, Water repellent Portland
Cement, and other varieties of cement such as; higher alumina cement,
quick setting cement, white cement and so on.
Reinforcement: Reinforcement is provided in concrete structures to
enhance its tensile strength. Therefore in all structural elements, the
reinforcement is provided in the region of the element that will be subjected
to tension. Standard bar diameters ~ 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 20, 25, 32 and 40 mm.
Aggregates: This consists of sand, ground crushed stone, pebbles, broken
blocks and similar such materials. Aggregates may either be light or heavy
weight and also All-in-Aggregates. Aggregates must be clean, structural
sound, well graded, weather resistance and inert in the presence of water.
Aggregates are of two types:
Fine Aggregate; this should be clean, sharp and passes through the sieve
size of 4.5mm.
Coarse Aggregate; aggregate which consists largely of particles over 5mm
in diameter. This is usually gravel or crushed stones.
Mineral Fibre Felt: a waterproofing membrane consisting of a thin fibrous
mat of polyester or glass fibres saturated with bitumen or a bitumen
polymer, it lies between the actual roof and the house and the layer of
protection from the element. It is always 36” wide and they come in a
rectangular shape (roll). The mineral fibre felt was used during the repair of
roof slabs leakages, it was applied after the roof slabs has been primed, this
was carried out by heating the primed surface and the felt together with the
aid of gas.

EQUIPMENTS
The following are examples of various tools used in construction;

Trowel: This is a flat metal blade fixed to a short handle used for the
application, jointing, smoothing and shaping of mortar in masonry. It is also
used in the trimming of block/bricks. Trowel sizes ranges from 225-350mm
measuring from the blade.

Spirit Level: This is a Hand-tool used for indicating true horizontal and
vertical of a work, by means of an air bubble sealed in a marked, liquidfilled
glass tube mounted in a frame; the tube is horizontal when the bubble is
between two marks. Spirit levels are of various length ranging from about
225mm to 1.2m.
Straight Edge: The kind of straight edge that was used on the construction
site is an Aluminum frame of about 2m in length. The straight edge is used
to check the fairness of the newly laid piece of a wall and to ensure that all
the blocks are laid to the same level of each course.

Iron Square: This is a hand tool of angle 90 which measures 600mm by

450mm long. It is used for setting out walls at right angles to check for
square nature of a section of work.

MACHINERIES
The machineries that were used on site were brought into considerations so
as to promote high standards required particularly in the context of
structural engineering works. Machineries are used on site to eliminate
heavy manual work thus reducing fatigue and as a consequence increasing
productivity. Such machineries that were used include;
Tilting Drum Concrete Mixer: This is a type of concrete mixer with a
rotating hinged drum in which the constituent materials are mixed
thoroughly and can be tilted to enable emptying. Choice of Mixer ~ the
factors to be taken into consideration when selecting the type of concrete
mixer required are …
1. Maximum output required (m3/ hour).
2. Total output required (m3).
3. Type or method of transporting the mixed concrete.
4. Discharge height of mixer (compatibility with transporting method).
 Tilting Drum Concrete Mixer

Poker Vibrator:
This consist of a hollow steel tube casing in which is a rotating impellor
which generates vibrations as its head comes into contact with the casing. It
is immersed in fresh concrete to provide compaction through gentle
agitation.

Block moulding machine: The block moulding machine has a demountable

mould which determines the size of the blocks to be moulded. It is either
powered by a diesel engine or electricity. The engine enables the machine to
induce the desired vibration to the mix placed in the mould in order to
enhance the strength of the blocks.

Block Moulding Machine

2.2 CONCRETING
This is generally referred to as Casting. It is a process of working with
freshly mixed concrete especially the placing of concrete. Before the
establishment of the second floor some procedures where undertaken. Such
procedures include;
1. Material Supply and Storage: This is the receiving on site of the basic
materials namely cement, fine aggregate and coarse aggregate and
storing them under satisfactory conditions. Cement is supplied in bags
form and was stored on racks to prevent moisture penetration from the
ground in a dry store free from draughts which can introduce moist air
and cause air set of the material. Cement should not be stored on the site
for long period of time on site; therefore, provision should be made for
rotational use so that the material being used comes from older stock.
Aggregates were stored in Bays on a clean firm base to ensure that
foreign matter is not included when extracting materials from the base of
the stock pile.

2. Batching: Before mixing was carried out, the ingredients have to be

measured in their correct proportion to enhance the quality of the
concrete. Volume batching was used in this process with the aid of a
head pan with a ratio of 1:2:4 and 1:3:6 and this was supervised by the
site engineer.

3. Mixing: The purpose of mixing is to coat the surfaces of Aggregate

particles with cement paste and to make it a uniform mass. The quality
of mixture depends on the accuracy of proportioning of the materials and
 the method of mixing. The method of mixing was carried out
mechanically through the use of a Tilting Drum concrete mixer.

4. Transportation: This involves the means of conveying concrete from the

point of mixing to the point of placement. The choice of transportation
depends on the size and complexity of the site, weather condition and the
height of the placement of the concrete. The mode of transportation used
was the manual method with the use of head pans and labour. A mason’s
ladder made of both bamboo and timber was constructed to enhance
vertical/inclined movements.

5. Placing: Before the concrete was placed in the formwork, the inside of
the formwork is thoroughly cleaned and a release agent (lubricant) was
applied after the formwork was blown off of dust. The concrete was
placed at a reasonable height of not more than 1m so as to avoid the
segregation of its component materials.

6. Compacting: The Compacting of freshly placed concrete is to make it a

unit mass by eliminating voids within it. The method and the type of
compaction given to concrete depend on the nature of work. Poker
Vibrator was used for the compacting of concrete during the
construction of the floors of the new university hall while the concretes
of small works were compacted using tapping rod.

7. Curing: After the placing and compacting of the concrete it is allowed to

sufficiently harden for a day then the curing process comes in which
involves the prevention of the evaporation of moisture in the concrete.
The concrete was watered for 7days with use of a hose pipe connected to
 a tank. This was done to avoid shrinkage of the concrete and cause a
more permanent and durable material produced. After 21 days the
formwork are removed completely to enhance the full setting of the
reinforced concrete floor. Hence, concreting was carried out on almost
all the construction work during my period of attachment.

2.3 SETTING OUT

Refers to the act of measuring and marking out a full-size plan of a building
or element of a building on site. This is accomplished by transferring the
architectural details from paper to the ground.

2.4 FOUNDATION WORKS

Foundation consists of firm strata to prevent differential settlement of the
structure and it provides stability to the structure. It transfers the weight of
the structure (live, dead, and other loads) to the earth.

2.5 BLOCKWORK
The walling system was mostly carried out using sandcrete hollow blocks.
The sizes of blocks were used in respect to their functions. The 6 inches
blocks were used mostly for internal walls while the 9 inches blocks were
used in load bearing areas and external walling. The bonding process used
in the union of these block is Stretcher Bond; which is when the stretcher
faces of the blocks appear on the front or rear elevation of the wall.

2.6 LINTELS
Lintel is referred to as the beam above an opening in a building, which
supports the weight above it and transmits such weight of the imposed
 materials to the vertical sides of the wall opening. The lintel used for the
opening in the constructed fence was Precast Reinforced Concrete Lintel
that was constructed on site by using a wooden mould while the cast in-situ
lintel was used for the construction of the new university hostel. The precast
lintel was transported and placed manually. One of the advantages of
precast lintel is that it quickens production.

2.7 GROUND BEAM

Ground beam is a beam of reinforced concrete at or near ground level
supporting a wall, and either resting directly on the ground or transferring
its load to piles or piers in the manner of a lintel.

2.9 INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN

I was also introduced to Computer Aided Design such as:

 AutoCAD
 ArchiCAD
Which are use for designing floor plans, roof plan, sectioning, elevations
and 3D modelling of building plan.

AutoCAD

AutoCAD is a commercial Computer Aided Design (CAD), and drafting

software application. AutoCAD is used in industry, by architects, project
managers, engineers, graphic designers, city planners and other
professionals. It was supported by 750 training centers worldwide in 1994.

The various AutoCAD tools present to assist in drawing a certain

part/component, the most basic types used are:
 Line  Copy  Array
 Circle  Mirror  Scale
 Rectangle  Rotate  Fillet
 Polyline  Erase  Explode
 Trim  Offset
 Extend  Move

Line: you can invoke the LINE command by choosing the LINE tool from
the Draw panel, or you can also invoke the LINE tool by entering LINE or
L at the Command Prompt. You will have to specify the starting point of
the line by clicking the mouse then you will be prompted to specify the
second point. You can terminate the LINE command by pressing ENTER,
ESC or SPACEBAR.

Circle: a circle is drawn by using the CIRCLE command. You can draw a
circle by using six different tools, i.e., by specifying center and radius, by
specifying center and diameter, by specifying two diametrical ends, by
specifying three points on a circle, tangent to two objects, tangent to three
objects.

Rectangle: you can draw rectangles by specifying two opposite corners of

the rectangle, specifying the area and the size of one of the sides, or
specifying the rectangle’s dimensions.

Polyline: Polylines means many lines. To draw a polyline, you need to

invoke the PLINE command. After invoking the PLINE command and
specifying the start point.

Trim: When creating a design, you may need to remove the unwanted and
extending edge. In such cases, you can use the Trim tool. On invoking the
Trim tool, you will be prompted to select the cutting edges. These edges
can be lines, polylines, circles, arcs, ellipses, rays, splines, text, blocks,
xlines or even viewports. After the cutting edge/edges are selected, you
must select each object to be trimmed.

Extend: The Extend tool may be considered as the opposite of the Trim
tool. You can extend lines, polylines, rays, and arcs to meet the other
objects using the Extend tool. You can use this option whenever you want
to extend the objects that do not actually intersect the boundary edge but
would intersect its edge if the boundary edges were extended.

Copy: This tool is used to make the copies of the selected objects and
place them at the specified location. On invoking this tool, you need to
select the objects and then specify the base point. Next, you need to specify
the second point where the copied objects have to be placed. You can
continue specifying the second point for creating multiple copies of the
selected entities.

Mirror: This tool is used to create a mirror copy of the selected objects.
The objects can be mirrored at any angle. This tool is helpful in drawing
symmetrical figures. On invoking this tool, you will be prompted to select
objects. On selecting objects to be mirrored, you will be prompted to enter
the first point of the mirror line and the second point of the mirror line. A
mirror line is an imaginary line about which the objects are mirrored.

Rotate: On invoking this tool, you will be prompted to select the objects
and the base point about which the selected objects will be rotated. By
default, a positive angle results in counterclockwise rotation, whereas a
negative angle results in a clockwise rotation. The Rotate tool can also be
invoked from the shortcut menu by selecting an object and right-clicking in
the drawing area, and choosing Rotate from the shortcut menu.

Erase: Sometimes, you need to erase the unwanted objects from the
objects drawn. To erase an object, choose Erase tool from the Modify
panel. To invoke the Modify toolbar, choose
View>Windows>Toolbars>AutoCAD>Modify from the ribbon. A small
box, known as a pick box, replaces the screen cursor on invoking the Erase
tool. To erase the object, select it by using the pick box; the selected object
will be displayed in dashed lines, and the Select objects prompt will be
displayed again. You can either continue selecting the objects or press
ENTER to terminate the object selection process and erase the selected
objects.

Offset: You can use the Offset tool to draw parallel lines, polylines,
concentric circles, arcs, curves, etc., While offsetting an object, you need to
specify the offset distance and the side to offset.

Move: The Move Tool is used to move one or more objects from their
current location to a new location without changing their size or
orientation.

Array: You may need to create an object multiple times in a rectangular or

circular arrangement in some cases. This type of arrangement can be
obtained by creating an array of objects. In Rectangular Array, you need to
mention the number of rows and columns along with the Row offset
distance and Column offset distance. Whereas in Polar Array, you need to
specify the Center point around which you need the number of objects.

Scale: Sometimes you need to change the size of objects in a drawing. For
this purpose, the Scale tool comes in handy.

Fillet: The edges in a model are generally filleted to reduce the area of
stress concentration. The fillet tool helps form round corners between any
two entities that form a sharp vertex.
 CHAPTER THREE

3.0 PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED DURING ATTACHMENT

1. Access Road: The access road to the site is extremely poor due to the
lack of drainages and constant passage of heavy vehicles such as trailer
and Lorries.
2. Land Pollution: The soil and water of the land is polluted as a result of
oil spillage from trailers and lorries that where formerly abandoned on
the land. The borehole that was sunk by the company was producing
water of brownish color.
3. Nature of Soil: The area of the site appears to be water logged thereby
providing ponds of water in excavated trenches.
4. Site Accommodations: The site accommodation is quite poor. The lack
of provision of sleeping materials like beds and mosquito treated nets.
Laborers sleep on plywood and use only bed covers to protect
themselves against mosquitoes and other harmful insects.

3.1 RECOMMENDATION
The following Recommendation is referred to the Establishment I
undertook my SIWES program, my college, Industrial Training Fund and
the Government; in order to improve and enhance the expected results of
the Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme;
1. The Federal Government should establish and promote laws and
agencies that regulate land use to prevent pollution.
2. The Federal Government should provide and construct adequate roads in
less developed areas.
3. The Federal Government should provide industries and organizations
with incentives to encourage and solicit for their cooperation and
contribution to the programme
4. The management of Fast Approach Konstruction Ltd can create and
organise a special forum for students on attachment, this will help in
discovering students’ potentials and to appropriately use them
effectively.
5. The management of Fast Approach Konstruction Ltd should provide
adequate social amenities for their workers and enhance the welfare of
their workers.
6. The management of Fast Approach Konstruction Ltd should try to
encourage workers initiatives and contributions to projects so at to
enhance their esteem and contributions to such projects.
7. The Industrial Training Fund should provide a network in which
Establishments and Students could communicate better so promotes
easier means of finding placements.
REFERENCES.
1. Dictionary of Architecture and Building construction by Nikolas Davies
and Erkki Jokiniemi.
2. Building Construction Handbook by Roy Chudley and Roger Greeno.
3. Building Construction Illustrated by Francis D.K Ching (4th edition).
4. Essential Elements of Block-work Construction by Udoh Christopher
Timothy (vol.1).
5. The Construction of Buildings by Barry R. vol.1 & 2 (1971).
6. Encyclopedia Britannica; Ultimate reference suite (2014).
7. Oxford English dictionary