From student to director, actor – When life skills are “on air” through cinema

Dai Nam University (DNU) has just concluded the third season of the soft skills training project "Skills Launchpad - The New Wave", with more than 5,000 participating students, 602 competing film groups, hundreds of videos spreading creative energy and thousands of inspiring stories of maturity.

No longer a mere extracurricular playground, “The New Wave” is designed by Dai Nam University as a comprehensive skills training model, combining cinematic art experience and personal capacity development. Here, students not only learn how to write scripts, film, and post-production, but also practice important skills for their future studies and careers: teamwork, time management, presentation, critical thinking, creativity, and personal branding.

Breakthrough in soft skills training thinking

"The New Wave" brings a completely new approach to soft skills training - through filmmaking experience. In season 3, with the theme "The Golden Age - 90s Cinema", students from many different fields such as Medicine, Economics, Languages, Information Technology... transformed into directors, actors, screenwriters, cameramen - roles that seem unrelated to their major.

“This is the first time I have written a script, stood in front of the camera, and worked with a crew. I thought it would be difficult, but I found myself gradually becoming more confident, speaking more clearly, listening and cooperating. I realized I could do more than I thought,” a student shared after the Final round.

Season 3 and the numbers speak for themselves

· 5,000 students from 20 faculties and accompanying clubs

· 602 short film projects produced

· More than 30 awards were given in the categories: Top 10 best and most favorite films, Impressive - Breakthrough - Dedication - Prospective films, Best leading and supporting actors/actresses, King & Queen of the Night...

But above all, the core value that The New Wave brings is the maturity of each individual. Not everyone wins awards, but everyone learns how to discover themselves, break their limits and shine in their own way.

Training strategy linked to practice and real people

Dai Nam University identifies soft skills as an inseparable part of its comprehensive human resource training strategy. Activities such as The New Wave not only help students "live" skills, but also create a safe - modern - creative environment for them to express their personalities, practice their abilities and prepare for their future careers.

“Learners need more than just grades. They need space to make mistakes, to try, and to grow. The New Wave is such a model – where life skills are ‘on air’ through youth stories,” said a representative of the Organizing Committee.

Towards season 4 – expanding in scale, increasing in depth

Following the success of the first three seasons, The New Wave season 4 will return with many innovations in organization, expanded topics and enhanced connections with businesses - media - skills training experts. The next season is expected to attract more than 7,000 students, becoming one of the largest soft skills training events in the non-public university system.

The end is the beginning. The creative journey may have ended with the spotlight and applause, but it certainly opened a new journey – where each student continues as a stronger version of themselves.