The Duke of Edinburgh award (DofE) is hard work. After an expedition, you’ll probably spend a day in bed, feeling hideous and watching hours of telly because you can barely walk from your sore feet. So, what’s it all for? What exactly is the DofE and do universities and employers actually care?
Founded the Duke himself almost 60 years ago, it was designed to encourage anyone aged 14 to 24 to take on a range of activities that develop skills such as leadership, perseverance, team work and communication. There are three different levels - bronze, silver and gold - and five sections including volunteering, expedition and residential.
Around 112,000 young people in the UK take part every year, and the outcomes are varied. Some hate it, and never want to see a tent again. Others form a lifelong passion for the great outdoors. Most do it to boost their CV.
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Ollie Wood, 19, from Windsor, is studying zoology at Swansea University, and is one of around 9,000 people who made it to the gold level last year. He thinks the award is about far more than just learning how to put up a tent, and credits the experience with helping him to get on to his degree programme. “Some boys at school dropped out along the way and, in my year, only three managed to achieve their gold award. So it made us stand out from the rest,” he says.
“For my bronze skill, I went on a course to learn about keeping chickens. For my silver, I moved on to quail and started to hatch my own. For gold, I started breeding ducks. I loved working out the genetics of cross-breeding, trying to get different coloured eggs. These were all we talked about at my interview,” he says.
“When I got my A-level results, I didn’t have what Swansea asked for. But they contacted me and said they wanted me to do the course as I had shown so much passion for the subject through my DofE activities.”
Perran Helyes, 18, from Cornwall, did the award during his GCSEs because he says it was “drilled into” him that it would be a good thing to have on his CV. Although he enjoyed the experience, he says he is “not sure if it was worthwhile”.
“I did well in both my GCSEs and A-levels, so those results were able to carry me into university, without the need for extra stuff like a DofE award. I did mention it in a successful job application but I don’t feel it contributed to the success. Other aspects of my extra-curricular life took precedence in my uni application,” he says.
According to Angela Milln, director of student recruitment at the University of Bristol, the award is an asset when applying for university. She says: “Students’ academic potential and commitment to their chosen programme of study are the most significant factors in decision-making, but the DofE award can be beneficial.
For example, excellent academic grades are required for medicine - but we also need our future doctors to be able to communicate effectively. A potential engineer needs to have strong practical, problem-solving ability. Participation in extra curricular activities such as the DofE award can be a valuable way of evidencing this kind of aptitude.”
But a spokesperson for the University of Cambridge says that although the award does help applicants to demonstrate skills such as self-discipline, motivation and time management, it is more important that people are engaged with their subject.
“We use the personal statement primarily as a resource on which to base questions at interview. We look for strong academic focus, as well as evidence to support interest in the subject and precision and accuracy in self-presentation. Above all, we look for clear evidence of academic engagement beyond the curriculum. We are not interested in extra-curricular activities, except where they may demonstrate relevant skills, such as time management.”
University admissions may vary, but in the competitive graduate recruitment market, experts say being able to demonstrate commitment and hard work can only be a good thing. Keren Mitchell, managing director of The Job Crowd, a graduate job review site, says that candidates desperately need to find ways to stand out.
“Applicants need examples of the key attributes that employees look for such as leadership and teamworking skills. DoE is a great way to achieve a lot of these in one go, though graduates need to take time to show how their DoE experience is relevant to the role that they are applying for,” he says.