Students’ perspectives of the industrial attachment programme: A study of University of Zimbabwe faculty of commerce students (2010- 2011)

The mission statement of the University of Zimbabwe(UZ) makes a provision for the institution to make meaningful contributions to sustainable development in Zimbabwe through the provision of high quality education, training and advisory services. Guided by such principles, the study was motivated by the desire to establish the perceptions of students as regards the Student Industrial Attachment(SIA) Programme which was introduced in 2002 to augment the theoretical backgrounds of students with the realities and demands of the practical work environment. High quality education can only be attained after taking cognisance of the views of the key stakeholders of UZ programmes, which is students and industry in the development of curricula. After two years of continuous study, students undergo a one year SIA Programme as an integral component of their undergraduate studies in the Faculty of Commerce. While it was established by more than half of the respondents that the SIA Programme is quite relevant, it is also imperative that the UZ should do a lot in improving the effectiveness of the programme. The key areas which require immediate attention include the need for at least two visits and more assessments by lecturers to all students on the SIA Programme, assisting all students to get attachment on time at least a semester before the commencement of the attachment period and establishing good links with companies in order to secure attachment for all students. Furthermore, the other major findings of the study were that the UZ should introduce new courses in its curricula and the fact that the SIA Programme should contribute to the overall degree class of a student.