At Les Roches Jin Jiang, diversity has always been one of our core values. When the very first branch of Les Roches opened in Switzerland in 1954, it was built with the goal that all children–regardless of gender, race, or religion–could be a part of the community.

That core belief still resonates with us today. With 3 campuses and over 100 nationalities per campus, we at LRJJ believe that providing our students with a culturally diverse environment–starting from the staff, down to the student body–is one of the best ways to equip our students with the soft and hard skills necessary for success in the hospitality industry.

 

Diversity leads to development.

At LRJJ, we believe that being a part of a diverse environment leads to immense personal growth. Take for example Florencia Yu, who is currently pursuing a Hospitality Management diploma. To her, entering into a multicultural campus gave her a bit of culture shock, but it was a challenge she eventually learned to overcome.

“I have never studied in an international school before coming to Les Roches Jin Jiang,” she said. “In the beginning especially, I had difficulty adapting and getting to know other people’s cultures. As time has gone by, though, I can now proudly say that I’m happy to be a part of this diverse environment. Being here has given me the opportunity to explore new cultures and make new friends all over the world.”

One class in particular that helped her was a class called “Managing Diversity in the Global Workplace,” which helped her fuel her creativity, develop new perspectives, and be open to new cultures.

“I’ve become more open to new cultures and innovations,” she said. “Because of this class, and my day to day life in LRJJ, I am enriched with new knowledge, and meeting new people has become more interesting to me.”

Arthur Jim, a recent graduate of the Hotel Management Diploma program, shares a similar sentiment. “Being in a culturally diverse environment brings many opportunities to learn from each other, and how different cultures see the world,” he said.

 

Diversity: the perfect tool for professional preparedness.

Being educated in a multicultural environment is essential for our students’ future careers in the Hospitality industry. In this field, being able to adapt to a variety of people, from coworkers to customers, is a skill that isn’t just necessary–it’s expected.

As future employees and entrepreneurs, our students understand that being in a diverse work environment means recognizing each person’s differences, and understanding how these differences can strengthen the team. Doing so can lead to effective communication and collaboration. The result: a healthy work environment that fosters loyalty and inspires productivity, which means better employee retention.

This doesn’t just benefit the work environment–it also benefits their future customers. By training our students in a diverse environment, we are also helping them develop excellent customer service skills. Employees and business owners who can skillfully understand and adapt to different cultures can more readily anticipate their guests’ needs and demands, which gives them a competitive advantage over anyone else.

Arthur agrees. “At les Roches, teachers will make it a point to tell you about their own experiences about how the Hospitality industry works around the globe. It’s common to meet people from other cultures in our industry,” he said. “A diverse environment can help us learn more about the way of life in different places. With this knowledge and experience, we can interact with more confidence towards our guests. Being in a diverse environment such as LRJJ gives us the opportunity to learn from other people’s culture, how they choose to see the world, as well as the way they talk and interact. It also allows us to practice how we can interact with different personalities. Such an environment can really help sharpen our communication and relationship skills.”

Ultimately, a multicultural community–especially one that starts in school– is invaluable to our students because it gives them an opportunity to discover what lies outside of the world that they are accustomed to. The relationships and connections they build as they involve themselves with the community has opened up a world of possibilities for them.

“Studying in LRJJ is an amazing experience because it’s taught me so much about the world,” Florencia said. “It’s made me realize that there is so much that I haven’t explored yet. LRJJ provides me with the opportunity to explore what I haven’t yet, and meet tons of amazing people along the way.”

“Being a part of Les Roches Jin Jiang opened my eyes to how vast the world is,” Arthur adds. “It made me realize that there is so much out there for me to discover. From my peers to the opportunities I have with companies in different continents, I’ve been able to make great friends and build so many connections.”