THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S AWARD

SKILLS

Developing practical & social skills and nurturing your personal interests & talents

The Skills section of DofE

The Skills section is about discovering what you’re really good at. Maybe you want to get better at something you already do, like playing a musical instrument, or learn something for the very first time, like how to design a website?

By developing practical and social skills and nurturing your personal interests and talents, you’ll boost your self-esteem and your CV.

I truly believe that my DofE Awards helped me gain a place at college and secure my job.

Skills with DofE - it's your choice...

When completing each section of your DofE, you should develop a programme which is specific and relevant to you. This sheet gives you a list of programme ideas that you could do or you could use it as a starting point to create a Skills programme of your own.

Ballet appreciation • Ceremonial drill • Circus skills • Conjuring & magic • Majorettes • Puppetry • Singing • Speech & drama • Theatre appreciation • Ventriliquism • Yoyo extreme

Aerodynamics • Anatomy • App design • Astronomy • Biology • Botany • Chemistry • Coding/ programming • Ecology • Electronics • Engineering • Entomology • IT • Marine biology • Oceanography • Paleontology • Physics • Rocket making • Taxonomy • Weather/meteorology • Website design • Zoology

Agriculture (keeping livestock) • Aquarium keeping • Beekeeping • Caring for reptiles • Dog training & handling • Horse, donkey, llama, alpaca handling & care • Looking after birds (i.e. budgies & canaries) • Pet care – health, training, maintenance • Pigeon breeding & racing

Church bell ringing • Composing • DJing • Evaluating music & musical performances • Improvising melodies • Listening to, analysing & describing music • Music appreciation • Playing a musical instrument • Playing in a band • Reading & notating music • Understanding music in relation to history & culture

Agriculture • Conservation • Forestry • Gardening • Groundsmanship • Growing carniverous plants • Plant growing • Snail farming • Vegetable growing

Cards (i.e. bridge) • Chess • Clay target shooting • Coxing • Cycle maintenance • Darts • Dominoes • Fishing/fly fishing • Flying • Gliding • Go-karting • Historical period re-enacting • Kite construction & flying • Mah Jongg • Marksmanship • Model construction & racing • Motor sports • Power boating • Snooker, pool & billiards • Sports appreciation • Sports leadership • Sports officiating • Table games • War games

Alternative therapies • Cookery • Democracy in action • Digital lifestyle • Driving: car maintenance/car road skills • Driving: motorcycle maintenance/ road skills • Event planning • First aid – St John/ St Andrew/ BRCS • Hair & beauty • Learning about the emergency services • Learning about the RNLI (Lifeboats) • Library & information skills • Life skills • Massage • Money management • Navigation • Public speaking and debating • Skills for employment • Young Enterprise

Aeronautics • Aircraft recognition • Anthropology • Archaeology • Astronautics • Astronomy • Bird watching • Coastal navigation • Coins • Collections, studies & surveys • Comics • Contemporary legends • Costume study • Criminology • Dowsing & divining • Fashion • Forces insignia • Gemstones • Genealogy • Heraldry • History of art • Language skills • Military history • Movie posters • Postcards • Reading • Religious studies • Ship recognition • Stamp collecting

Amateur radio • Blogging • Communicating with people who are visually impaired • Communicating with people who have a hearing impediment • Film & video making • Journalism • Newsletter & magazine production • Signalling • Vlogging • Writing

Basket making • Boat work • Brass rubbing • Building catapaults & trebuchets • Cake decoration • Camping gear making • Candle-making • Canoe building • Canvas work • Carnival/festival float construction • Ceramics • Clay modelling • Crocheting • Cross stitch • DIY • Dough craft • Drawing • Dressmaking • Egg decorating • Embroidery • Enamelling • Fabric printing • Feng Shui • Floral decoration • French polishing • Furniture restoration • Glass blowing • Glass painting • Interior design • Jewellery making • Knitting • Lace making • Leatherwork • Lettering & calligraphy • Macramé • Marquetry • Model construction • Mosaic • Painting & design • Patchwork • Photography • Pottery • Quilting • Rope work • Rug making • Snack pimping • Soft toy making • Tatting • Taxidermy • Textiles • Weaving and spinning • Wine/beer making • Woodwork

Available downloads

Get inspired by our skills ideas list

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DofE Skills in action

Young people developing practical & social skills and nurturing their personal interests

Three further sections of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award

Contact The Caldecotte Xperience

The Caldecotte Xperience
George Amey Centre
Simpson
Milton Keynes
MK63AG

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