THSC Hosts Forum on Strengthening Skill Assessments and Compliance in Assessment

New Delhi, January 2026: The Tourism and Hospitality Skill Council (THSC) convened a strategy meeting with its empanelled assessment agencies on 27 January 2026 at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, centred on the theme “Reimagining Skill Assessments: Challenges, Compliance, and the Power of AI.” The event brought together assessment agencies, policymakers, and skilling ecosystem stakeholders to deliberate on improving the quality, credibility, and integrity of skill assessments in the tourism and hospitality sector.

Welcoming the participants, Mr. Rajan Bahadur, Chief Executive Officer, THSC, outlined the objectives of the event and underscored the importance of robust assessment systems in ensuring industry-relevant skilling outcomes. He emphasised the need for consistency, transparency, and continuous improvement as assessments scale across geographies and job roles.

In a special session on strengthening assessment quality, Mr. Mahendra Payaal, Executive Vice President, NSDC, spoke about the core dimensions of credible assessments, including governance, standardisation, and outcome-based evaluation. He highlighted the role of assessment agencies in maintaining trust and reliability within the national skilling framework.

Sharing insights from NSDC’s perspective, Ms. Elizabeth David, DGM, NSDC, discussed expectations from assessment agencies, focusing on adherence to standards, pool of assessors, assessment quality, question banks, operational discipline, and alignment with evolving skilling requirements along with use of AI.

An interactive discussion with assessment agencies followed, addressing key challenges such as assessor availability and standardisation, assessment integrity and malpractice prevention, and operational and logistical constraints. The session also explored the responsible use of technology in assessments, including remote proctoring, automated evaluation, quality monitoring, and data privacy considerations.

Technology partners SHL, Mercer | Mettl and EduVantage shared demonstrations of assessment platforms designed to support scalability, efficiency, and quality assurance.

The event concluded with a Prize Distribution Ceremony recognising best-performing assessment agencies from the previous year, followed by closing remarks and a networking lunch. The discussions reinforced a shared commitment to strengthening assessment practices that are credible, compliant, and aligned with industry needs.