Before joining UNU-IAS, he worked on education development programmes in the Philippines and abroad. He developed and managed programme expansion, M&E and communications strategies for a non-formal government ICT education programme (eSkwela). At the UNESCO Asia Pacific Regional Bureau for Education, he handled the communications and management of a science education TV content-sharing programme. At UNICEF Philippines, he managed several learning projects for vulnerable young people, including transferrable skills development and building national and local youth development alliances, where he actively engaged with partners and colleagues on programme communication requirements

Avelino served as a Senior Education Officer at the Australian Embassy in the Philippines, where he coordinated the basic education programmes of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He was also a consultant for education projects with ADB, SEAMEO Secretariat, ASEAN Cyber University, and UNESCO Myanmar.

He holds a Master’s degree in Development Communication from the University of the Philippines, and a BSc in Management from Ateneo de Manila University.