Why should a first job depend on who you know?
Building the UAE's next generation of talent
Sparq connects school and university students across the UAE with internships and job shadowing at verified employers. Structure, accountability and measurable impact, built into every placement.
A first step that actually counts
Real workplaces, real teams, and a structured program behind every placement.
A profile built in a conversation, not a form 
Why we built Sparq 
Impact, Emiratisation and pipeline, tracked as you hire
The gap we are closing
- 1M
- students in UAE schools right now
- 40%
- of core job skills will change by 2030
- 73%
- of organisations want to hire on skills, though only 19% do
- 10%
- Emiratisation target for skilled roles by end of 2026
Make early work experience normal, not exceptional
Every student deserves a real shot at work experience, regardless of who they know. Every employer has a responsibility to make that possible, and the tools to prove they did.
- Matched on skills, not contacts
- Guardian consent built into every application
- Every placement ends with something the student keeps
A right, not a privilege
A UAE where structured early-career experience is a right, not a privilege. Where employers build talent pipelines with measurable social impact.
- Employers who can see what their program achieved
- Impact that shows up in a report, not just a budget line
- Measurable impact, not good intentions
Our story
We started with one question
The question
Ask anyone in the UAE how they got their first internship and you will usually hear a name, not a process. A parent, a family friend, someone who knew someone. The students without that network are not less capable. They are just not in the room.
What we built
A platform where a student builds a profile in a conversation and gets matched against real roles on skills, not keywords. Employers get a ranked shortlist, a program structured to Nafis criteria, and the reporting assembled as they hire.
Where this goes
A UAE where structured early-career experience is a right, not a privilege. Where a first placement comes from what a student can do, and where every employer can show the part they played in building the next generation of talent.
Who this is for
Students who want to find out what work actually looks like, before they commit years to a degree built around a guess. And employers who see early talent as something to build rather than something to find later. If you are serious about either, Sparq is for you.
Frequently asked questions
(01) What is Sparq?
A UAE platform that connects school and university students, aged 16 to 25, with internships and job shadowing at verified employers. Students build a profile, get matched to roles on skills and fit, and apply in a click. Employers get a ranked shortlist and the reporting assembled as they hire.
(02) Who is it for?
Students aged 16 to 25 anywhere in the UAE, and any UAE employer, from a founder hiring their first intern to a group running a mutliple programs.
(03) How is Sparq different from a job board?
A job board lists everything and leaves the sorting to you. Sparq only carries internships and job shadowing, every employer is checked and verified before they can post, and every applicant is scored against the role on skills, education, interests and availability rather than keyword matches on a CV.
(04) Do students pay?
Yes. AED 399 a year, the same for school and university students, with unlimited applications and every feature included. No upgrades and no premium tier and as many placements a year as they can complete.
(05) What does it cost a company?
Plans start at AED 1,499 a year, with a 7-day free trial on every plan. One annual price, no per-hire fee, however many students you place.
(06) How do you keep students under-18s safe?
A student under-18 cannot be contacted by any employer until a parent or guardian has confirmed consent by email and WhatsApp. The consent record sits in the audit trail. Every employer is verified before they can post a role.
(07) How does matching work?
Every profile is scored against every role on skills, education, sector, interests and availability. Students see why a role fits them. Employers see a ranked shortlist with the reasoning shown. Nobody is filtered out for using the wrong word on a CV.
(08) Where is our data kept?
In the UAE. Student data is hosted onshore on Microsoft Azure, encrypted, never sold, with an audit trail on every interaction. Sparq is PDPL-compliant by design.
(09) Who arranges work permits?
The hiring company does. Sparq does not apply for, sponsor or process permits. UAE law requires a valid MOHRE permit for anyone working, including interns, and under-18s carry extra conditions including guardian consent, a medical fitness certificate, a six-hour working day and no work between 7pm and 7am.
(10) How does Sparq support Emiratisation?
Sparq is an independent platform. Emiratisation reporting is built into into the platform and updates as how you hire, so the evidence exists as placements happen rather than being reconstructed at the end of the year.
(01) What is Sparq?
A UAE platform that connects school and university students, aged 16 to 25, with internships and job shadowing at verified employers. Students build a profile, get matched to roles on skills and fit, and apply in a click. Employers get a ranked shortlist and the reporting assembled as they hire.
(03) How is Sparq different from a job board?
A job board lists everything and leaves the sorting to you. Sparq only carries internships and job shadowing, every employer is checked and verified before they can post, and every applicant is scored against the role on skills, education, interests and availability rather than keyword matches on a CV.
(05) What does it cost a company?
Plans start at AED 1,499 a year, with a 7-day free trial on every plan. One annual price, no per-hire fee, however many students you place.
(07) How does matching work?
Every profile is scored against every role on skills, education, sector, interests and availability. Students see why a role fits them. Employers see a ranked shortlist with the reasoning shown. Nobody is filtered out for using the wrong word on a CV.
(09) Who arranges work permits?
The hiring company does. Sparq does not apply for, sponsor or process permits. UAE law requires a valid MOHRE permit for anyone working, including interns, and under-18s carry extra conditions including guardian consent, a medical fitness certificate, a six-hour working day and no work between 7pm and 7am.
(02) Who is it for?
Students aged 16 to 25 anywhere in the UAE, and any UAE employer, from a founder hiring their first intern to a group running a mutliple programs.
(04) Do students pay?
Yes. AED 399 a year, the same for school and university students, with unlimited applications and every feature included. No upgrades and no premium tier and as many placements a year as they can complete.
(06) How do you keep students under-18s safe?
A student under-18 cannot be contacted by any employer until a parent or guardian has confirmed consent by email and WhatsApp. The consent record sits in the audit trail. Every employer is verified before they can post a role.
(08) Where is our data kept?
In the UAE. Student data is hosted onshore on Microsoft Azure, encrypted, never sold, with an audit trail on every interaction. Sparq is PDPL-compliant by design.
(10) How does Sparq support Emiratisation?
Sparq is an independent platform. Emiratisation reporting is built into into the platform and updates as how you hire, so the evidence exists as placements happen rather than being reconstructed at the end of the year.