Careers

Careers education at Morecambe Bay Academy is delivered through LIFE lessons and underpinned by a tailored programme of support, from Year 7 to 13.

Please click here for Information on Careers Week 2024

We deliver age-appropriate modules to prepare students for key moments of choice and provide comprehensive, impartial information on all academic and vocational routes. Each year group has the opportunity to explore their future careers and the qualifications and skills required for their next steps in reaching their career goals. Timetabled sessions ensure students have the knowledge and skills to make informed decisions about future studies and career options. Our dedicated careers advisor ensures these options are reviewed and updated regularly.

All our students meet through Years 7 to 13, visit and work with a range of employers and higher education providers to ensure they are fully aware of the diverse and exciting pathways available to them. We are able to draw on a breadth of expertise across our partnership and participation teams from universities to ensure our students are fully prepared to select and succeed on appropriate destinations through their education. All year 13 students have an industrial mentor who they work with once a half term.

The support and guidance of our career’s advisor through 1:1 interviews and enrichment activities ensure that all advice is impartial and tailored to the students needs. Our wide offer from external providers and further education colleges ensures we are fully compliant with the Baker clause.

Please see our Careers Policy, on our Policies page together with our Compass Report.

These give a full outline of our comprehensive careers programme throughout the academy and measurement of its impact.

Labour Market Information

For local labour market information or careers information please see the links below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhVsX2Kq7C0

https://lancashire.startprofile.com/page/lancaster-morecambe-area-overview

https://icould.com/

Skills Builder Accelerator

As part of the Skills Builder Accelerator programme, we have access to their home learning activities. It is free to use and has lots of resources and activities to help build employability skills.

Year 7 students will be practising these in form time and throughout their curriculum. The activities aim to help students practise these essential skills independently.

However, the resources aren’t just for Year 7 and can be used for any student in any year group who wishes to improve the essential skills needed for employment and future steps.

Just set yourself up and login and explore the range of activities you can use.

https://www.skillsbuilder.org/homelearning

Apprenticeship Sector Workshops – Positive Destinations

Apprenticeship Sector Workshops

Year 10 – Work Experience

This year, all our Year 10 students will be out on Work Experience from Monday 30th June – 4^th July 2025

Students are expected to organise their own Work Experience placement and will be supported in school by Mrs Louth the schools Careers Advisor & Work Experience Co- ordinator and form teachers. We are using a platform called Unifrog to help us log and track the process from start to finish, Unifrog is a one stop shop that shares important information between students, employers, parents and school staff. All placements need to be finalised by 9th May 2025.

Important dates

Launch assembly to students on 11^th October 2024
Parent information sent via Synergy w/c 14^th October 2024
2^nd assembly to students 27^th February 2025
Employability day 1 Friday 28^th March 2025
Employability day 2 Friday 5^th April 2025
Employability day 3 Friday 13^th June 2025
Final assembly to students w/c 23rd June 2025

Next steps

Students (with support from parents/carers/school staff) identify and make contact with a potential employer
Students enter the details of the employer that has agreed to take them on placement onto Unifrog – students will have supported sessions on how to do this
Unifrog contact the employer to confirm that they have agreed to take the student and that the employer has relevant insurances in place
Unifrog contact the students’ parent/carer to share the details of the placement and confirm that they agree to allow their child on the placement
Unifrog contact the school to confirm the placement once all the above confirmations have been received.

Below you can find the useful guides on both finding a placement and using Unifrog.

Work experience 2025 – Parent letter

How to secure a placement

How to use the placement tool

https://cdn.unifrog.org/video/hfxcu5f6a6/480.mp4

A guide to work experience

https://cdn.unifrog.org/video/3el1hdb6o8/480.mp4

Using the Gatsby Benchmarks to provide high quality Careers Education.

The Gatsby Benchmarks are a framework of eight guidelines about what makes the best careers provision in schools and colleges. At Morecambe Bay Academy we have built our careers education and guidance strategy around them.

Our Careers curriculum provides pupils at different stages in their school career with relevant information to help them make informed choices about options, careers, colleges, apprenticeships, university, and the world of work. This includes up to date labour market information.

The school has a careers enterprise co-ordinator from the company Capgemini to ensure careers provision is up to date for employers and advice and guidance is impartial and informative for all. We also benefit from a full time Careers Advisor.

Careers Contacts

Miss Helena Thornton – Careers Leader

Email: hthornton@morecambebayacademy.co.uk

Tel: 01524 410207

Mrs Alicia Louth – Careers & Work Experience Co-ordinator

Email: alouth@morecambebayacademy.co.uk

Tel: 01524 402431