Gone are the days of fetching coffee and taking meeting minutes. Student interns are looking for a fulfilling opportunity where they can learn and grow in the IT field. The UCs possess extraordinary talent within our growing student population. We view our students as leaders of California, a boon to our national economy, and as potential future UC employees. As employers compete for a skilled labor force, graduates with IT skills continue to be in ever-increasing demand. Why should students have to look outside of the UCs for an internship when universities are eager to train highly-motivated students to contribute to the success of their department? The University of California not only fulfills its mission by allowing these students to participate in knowledge acquisition and dissemination of new knowledge, but we also help our faculty and other students in achieving their research and learning goals through participation in UC mission-focused IT organizations. Join our team in a lively discussion full of tips and “how-tos” for creating a successful IT Internship Opportunity on campus. The UCSB IT Internship vision team will share with you the successes (and pitfalls) of their first year; and the building blocks for creating an experiential learning opportunity. From our campus leaders to our student interns, we discuss the hands-on learning that combines practical application, observation, professional opportunities and collaboration. We will share our experiences and share practical tools to create an IT internship opportunity. Have your own internship experiences to share? Please bring them. Let’s grow together!