Industrial Attachment challenges: Lessons drawn from Gweru Polytechnic College in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The study sought to establish challenges attachees face during industrial attachment. The examination of this topic was prompted by criticism of polytechnic graduates by employers for being improperly trained. The students on the other hand, lay the blame on industrial training environment. Solutions to the problems shall be used to improve industrial training so as to achieve human capital development. The researcher used open ended questionnaires, focus groups and interviews as data collection methods. Purposive sampling was used to select participants of the study in line with quantitative and qualitative research approaches used in data analysis. The participants were lecturers, students and workplace supervisors in Gweru city. The results of the study were thematically analysed. It emerged from the empirical findings of the study that shortage of attachment places, financial problems, inadequate training, inappropriate areadeployment and issues of student sexual harassment were challenges noted. This study recommended that adequate resources be mobilised towards student attachment and the colleges to have project establishments to help in relieving attachment places. There is also need to develop partnership with industry to easy placement of students, and to deploy attachees under supervision of qualified and experienced mentors. Furthermore, there is need for support from the government, private sector and other stakeholders.