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A Jaffna consultancy for skills and development programmes
Aram Development Partner (Pvt) Ltd is a registered Sri Lankan consulting firm based in Jaffna, in the Northern Province. We work with donors, international NGOs, government agencies and training institutions on technical and vocational education and training (TVET), livelihoods and workforce programmes across Sri Lanka.
The firm
Being based in the North gives us day-to-day knowledge of local labour markets, training providers and district administrations. We pair that with the planning, reporting and quality standards that bilateral and multilateral donors expect.
We work on TVET systems, programme design and management, monitoring and evaluation, private sector engagement and capacity building. Our clients range from development partners preparing a new programme to training institutions improving the courses they already run.
We take on a limited number of engagements at a time, so the founder stays directly involved in every assignment.
Why the name Aram
ARAM stands for Advisory, Research and Mentoring. Our full name is Advisory, Research and Mentoring Development Partner.
Aram is also the Tamil word for righteousness and duty, and the name of the first of the Thirukkural's three books, the classical Tamil text on how to live and govern well.
For us it is a working rule. We take on engagements we can deliver well, we are open about fit, and we judge success by what is still working after a programme ends.
Ketheeswaran Sugesan
Founder. Known professionally as Ke. Sugesan.
Ketheeswaran Sugesan is a TVET and development programme specialist with 17 years of experience in donor-funded development work in Sri Lanka. He spent more than 11 years with GIZ Sri Lanka on the Vocational Training Sri Lanka (VTSL) programme, rising from Programme Officer to Programme Component Manager, before founding Aram in 2026.
In his final years at GIZ he led a national green jobs demand survey aligned with Sri Lanka's 2030 renewable energy target. He then led the Green TVET component of the follow-on programme, working with the Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission (TVEC) on green skills policy, a new renewable energy curriculum and the greening of 20 TVET curricula.
He also led work on TVET digitalisation, bringing management information systems and e-learning into practice at the Sri Lanka-German Training Institute (SLGTI) and the Ceylon-German Technical Training Institute (CGTTI).
Earlier in his career he worked on a World Bank-funded project at the University of Jaffna, and on USAID and Embassy of Japan funded programmes with Sevalanka Foundation.
Career
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Early career
University of Jaffna
World Bank-funded project
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Before GIZ
Sevalanka Foundation
USAID and Embassy of Japan funded programmes
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11+ years, to August 2026
GIZ Sri Lanka
Vocational Training Sri Lanka (VTSL), from Programme Officer to Programme Component Manager; Component Leader for Green TVET
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2026 onwards
Aram Development Partner
Founder
Talk to the founder directly
Enquiries about programme design, implementation or procurement timelines go straight to Ketheeswaran.