Careers and Work Experience

Vision for Careers

At MEPA Academy, our Careers Vision is rooted in our commitment to delivering a broad, inclusive, and high-quality education that prepares all pupils for a successful and fulfilling life beyond school — academically, vocationally, and personally.

We aim to provide a careers programme that:

• • Empowers Aspirations: Encourages every pupil to explore a diverse range of career paths, particularly within creative industries, by connecting them with industry professionals, role models, and real-world experiences.
• • Builds Confidence and Independence: Fosters independent thinking, creativity, and curiosity through hands-on opportunities and experiences that help pupils step outside their comfort zones and challenge themselves.
• • Provides High-Quality Guidance: Delivers clear, consistent, and personalised careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) that supports each pupil to make informed decisions and take ownership of their future pathways.
• • Supports Holistic Development: Embeds careers learning into the wider curriculum, reinforcing transferable skills, emotional resilience, and self-awareness to support pupil wellbeing and lifelong success.
• • Celebrates Diversity of Ambition: Recognises that success looks different for every young person, valuing both traditional academic routes and vocational pathways equally, and celebrating all forms of progress and achievement.
• • Connects Learning to Industry: Builds strong links with professionals and employers to ensure our pupils understand the real-world relevance of their education and are prepared for the demands of a competitive but rewarding working life.
• • Promotes Positive Values: Reinforces the core values of respect, kindness, ambition, and professionalism, ensuring all pupils are prepared not only to succeed in their careers, but also to contribute positively to their communities and industries.

Through our careers strategy, we strive to prepare every pupil at MEPA Academy to leave with the skills, mindset, and self-belief needed to thrive — in further education, employment, or enterprise.

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Careers Leader Contact Details

Name: Lewis Muir
Email: lmuir@mepatraining.com
Phone: 01622 756644

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Our careers programme

Our school has an embedded careers programme that aims to inform and encourage pupils to consider their career options, and take steps to understand their choices and pathways. We provide statutory independent careers guidance to pupils from year 7 onwards.

Our programme has been developed to meet the expectations outlined in the Gatsby Benchmarks:

• A stable careers programme with a careers leader
• Learning from career and labour market information
• Addressing the needs of each pupil
• Linking curriculum learning to careers
• Encounters with employers and employees
• Experience of workplaces
• Encounters with further and higher education
• Personal guidance

Our programme doesn’t show bias towards any particular career path, and promotes a full range of technical and academic options for pupils.

It is structured in a way that builds upon previous years, and the overarching aim is divided between the Key Stages so that pupils are encouraged to think appropriately about their future. We provide aims, objectives and activities for each year group.

Careers Guidance and Advice

Our Careers and Work Experience lead will meet with all Year 11 students individually and is also available to meet with students from other year groups by teacher referral or student/parental request.

Within the meetings, they will provide support and guidance on:

• Exploring career options and choices available for students based on individual strengths, interests and abilities
• Further education opportunities (college and 6th Form)
• Apprenticeships, Training Providers and Traineeships
• Careers Research and local labour market information
• Interviews, Applications and CV writing

Careers Education

In Year 7-11 students have Careers Education embedded throughout their Personal Development lessons. These lessons are designed to create and build aspirations within our students and to develop understanding and knowledge to prepare our students for the world of work.

As a specialist Performing Arts Academy, all our lessons and opportunities are designed to teach and prepare our students professional workplace skills ready for the industry. Vocational lessons are taught and delivered by industry professionals who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the training and education of our students.

Work Experience

Every year 10 student takes part in the Work Experience programme at MEPA Academy. It is intended to give students experience of working life and to develop and practise the various skills and attitudes needed in the workplace.

It also provides an opportunity to increase self-confidence, develop personal and social skills and helps to give a focus and relevance to their school studies. In some cases, it may also lead to the offer of a summer or Saturday job or an apprenticeship opportunity.

The whole process from researching placement opportunities to meeting with potential employers and securing a placement is the responsibility of the individual student. However, there is comprehensive support from the Careers and Work Experience Lead who organises and runs the whole programme from start to finish.

Getting Involved

Throughout the year we hold different events for employers, businesses, organisations, training providers, sixth forms, colleges and universities to be a part of. Please be aware that all times and dates are subject to change and we will confirm with you the dates.

• Mock Interviews with Year 10 and 11 students
• Intervention and mentoring
• Careers and Business Breakfasts
• Employers Fair

We also have a bespoke Careers Education curriculum, through this we look to offer our students. Again if you would like to provide a course, activity or event to our students please email lmuir@mepatraining.com this would be subject to timetables, dates and times of the classes.