The last two years have seen a massive increase in the amount of young people undertaking the Duke of Edinburgh Award (DoE), according to the programme's organisers.

1,200 young people participated in the renowned award programme in 2008/2009, compared to the 1000 people who took part in 2007/2008 - an increase of 20 percent.

A recent survey conducted by the United Learning Trust has shown that the award rates among the top three most important activities that an employer will look for on a CV.

Dan Hawes, co-founder of the Graduate Recruitment Bureau, said: “The job market for graduates is extremely competitive. As well as your qualifications, any extra-curricular activities which can set you apart from the next applicant are very beneficial.

"The Duke of Edinburgh Award requires a lot of commitment and skill, especially at Gold level. Activities like this can tell a potential employer a lot about a candidate.”

Mr Hawes continued: “We have actually had employers stipulate that they would like us to look for candidates with a Duke of Edinburgh Award when we are matching them up with graduates, and we have included a search facility within our computer system which enables us to do this.”

The number of people picking up the bronze level award in 2009/2010 was more than double of that the previous year.

Sixteen Edinburgh schools currently take part in the DoE Award scheme including Castlebrae High School, which runs a programme encouraging pupils at risk from exclusion to participate in the awards.

24 young people from the Adolescent Mental Health Unit at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital are also undertaking tailor-made DoE programmes that will enable them to build their self-confidence and develop their interpersonal skills.

The award was created in 1956 as an incentive to inspire and support young people aged 14-25 from all backgrounds, promote their self-development and encourage them to fulfil their potential.

It was established and chaired by Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh. There are over 275,000 young people undertaking DoE awards in the U.K. each year.