Simon Wilkes

Placement Specialist @Leeds Trinity University

Leeds, GB

I have been running placements with Leeds Trinity University since joining TEAMtalk.com as Chief Sub-Editor in 2001, working closely with LTU’s placement team and giving guest lectures to sports journalism students.Multiple students have moved into freelance roles and then full-time jobs with TEAMtalk, Sky Sports and now Planet Sport having impressed on a placement.I also delivered a 10-week Sports Writing module to sports journalism students - rewriting their lecture material to cover live blogs, breaking news, match reporting, preview writing, social media and video strategy.Harnessing and mentoring aspiring content creators is something I have always believed in and enjoyed.I learnt a lot from my BA (Hons) degree at UCLAN in Preston (1994-97), but the real learning curve started on a month-long placement at Press Association Sport in Leeds in January 1997.That placement opened the door to a sports reporter role for me - and the rest, as they say, is history.I’m still running placements to this day, with universities and colleges in the US and South Africa as well as the U.K, and love every minute.Get in touch if you’d like me to organise a placement or deliver a guest lecture on careers in sports journalism and digital media.

University of Lancashire

BA (HONS), Journalism