Everything the Skills Pass asks about — customer care, hygiene, complaints, teamwork, selling, Malta facts and spoken English — taught in simple English, with scored practice exams and a certificate.
The Malta Skills Pass is an assessment that third-country nationals need to complete for tourism and hospitality roles in Malta. It combines online learning with an assessment covering workplace English, customer care, hygiene and presentation, complaint handling, teamwork, selling skills and knowledge about Malta itself.
It exists because Malta's economy runs on tourism, and the country wants incoming workers to arrive able to serve guests from day one. For candidates, it is a real hurdle: people who walk in unprepared often need a second attempt, and every retake delays the work permit file behind it.
Be clear on what this page is. The official Skills Pass process is run by the Maltese authorities on their own platform. The Noor Mandala Learner Portal is independent preparation material — we teach the topics, we do not issue the pass. Requirements can change, so always confirm the current rules for your own role before you apply.
These are the areas the assessment draws on — and the areas our portal teaches, in the same order, in easy English.
Where the word hospitality comes from, how the private and public sectors work together, and why every employee — not only hotel staff — is expected to help a visitor who asks.
Why the experience begins before arrival and continues after departure, how Malta competes with Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus and Crete, and why loyalty is treated as a treasure rather than a transaction.
Grooming, uniform, name tag, body language and the first-impression sequence — plus hygiene adapted to Malta's hot summers: hydration, breathable clothing, sun protection, subtle fragrance.
What a complaint actually is, the difference between product, service, value, new-customer and repeat-customer complaints, and how a well-handled complaint improves an online reputation.
Person-first language, accessible rooms with grab bars and roll-in showers, service animals, communication with sight- and hearing-impaired guests, and inclusive evacuation planning.
Active listening, clarification techniques, cultural sensitivity, empathy and emotional intelligence — and why teamwork in a hotel is described as a well-orchestrated dance.
The four selling types that appear throughout the assessment: upselling, down-selling, cross-selling and substitute selling, with worked scenarios for each.
Knowing your own hotel's offering, local attractions, energy-efficient features and sustainable dining, and how that knowledge improves the guest experience.
Valletta, the Knights of St John, Ġgantija, festas, the Maltese Cross, Kinnie and Cisk — plus the everyday Maltese phrases: Bongu, Merħba, Grazzi, Kif int, kafè iswed, flixkun birra, ilma.
Describing pictures, comparing two pictures, giving advantages and disadvantages, reading statements aloud, and answering the situational questions used in the spoken assessment.
The learner registers, selects their position — chef, waiter, bartender, housekeeping, driver and more — and can hold up to three positions at once if they are exploring options.
Skills Pass Foundation covers Maltese greetings, Malta facts, culture, customer care, presentation, complaints, teamwork and selling, with model spoken answers written out in full.
Position-specific interview and job-knowledge banks — 255 questions for chefs, 115 for waiters, 110 for bartenders, 100 for drivers, and more.
The Malta Complete Guide covers labour law, working hours, leave, pay, health care, transport, culture and emergency numbers, so nobody arrives uninformed.
Picture description, comparing two pictures, advantages and disadvantages, and statement reading — practised out loud, repeatedly.
Scored practice exams per course with instant results and explanations for every answer.
Passing generates a Noor Mandala certificate with a verification QR code, viewable and printable any time from the learner's account.
The Skills Pass is an assessment that third-country nationals need to complete for tourism and hospitality roles in Malta. It combines online learning modules with an assessment covering English communication, customer care, hygiene and presentation, complaint handling, teamwork, selling skills and Malta-specific knowledge.
It applies to third-country nationals — people who are not EU, EEA or Swiss nationals — applying for work in Malta's tourism and hospitality sector. Requirements are set by the Maltese authorities and can change, so candidates should always confirm the current position for their own role before applying.
The main areas are the hospitality industry and customer care, personal presentation and hygiene, handling complaints, serving guests with special needs, communication and teamwork, selling skills including upselling and cross-selling, product and environmental knowledge, Malta culture and facts, and English communication including a spoken component.
Study the same topic areas the assessment covers, in simple English, and practise the spoken parts out loud. The Noor Mandala Learner Portal was built for exactly this: Skills Pass topic coverage, Maltese phrase tables, model spoken answers, picture-description practice and scored mock exams.
No, and we are clear about that. The official Skills Pass process is run by the Maltese authorities on their own platform. Our portal is independent preparation material designed to get our candidates ready for those topics before they sit the real assessment.
Learner Portal access is included at no extra cost for candidates going through Noor Mandala for a Malta placement. It is part of the placement process, not a separate product we sell.
You need enough English to greet guests, take orders, explain a menu, understand instructions and handle a complaint politely. The portal focuses on exactly that practical workplace English rather than academic grammar.
Most candidates work through the core material over one to three weeks alongside their current job, then repeat the practice exams until they pass consistently. The portal is online, so studying happens on a phone during breaks and days off.
Learner Portal access is included for candidates placed through Noor Mandala. Tell us your position and we will set you up.