The construction of competent professional identities from the experience of the Topi hospitality school

TOPI School of Hospitality (TOPI SH) offers no formal vocational training in the fields of culinary and hospitality services addressed to youngsters between 16 and 25 years. Most of these students have lived educational exclusion processes before to access to training program and after that, most of the former students are recognized as professionals characterized by their competence and creativity in the hospitality industry. Based on a case study and after a brief review of the theoretical framework, this paper identify some relational and subjective elements which play a key role in educational exclusion and inclusion process, focus on those which enable students to move forward and favour the construction of competent professional identities among these youngsters from their own perspective.