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Project QUEST aimed to assist people with low incomes who were not enrolled in college but were interested in enrolling full time in a program leading to a job in the health care industry. People enrolled by attending an orientation, completing an application and assessments, meeting with a counselor, providing documentation, and attending an interview with a senior staff person. Random assignment occurred after this intake process. The study randomly assigned 207 participants to the intervention group and 203 participants to the comparison group. Enrollment occurred from April 2006 to October 2008.
People enrolled in the study from April 2006 to October 2008 and were followed for 11 years thereafter.
The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (through a contract with Abt Associates), the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Arnold Ventures
The study included a sample of 410 participants pursuing health care–related jobs. Most study participants were female (88 percent) and were, on average, age 30. About three-quarters (74 percent) were Latino, 14 percent were African American, and 10 percent were White. All participants had at least a high school diploma or GED, with 70 percent having earned a high school diploma, 25 percent a GED, and 5 percent a college degree. In total, 84 percent of participants had been employed in the year before study enrollment, with average annual earnings of $11,722.
Project QUEST
Project QUEST has provided employment and training programs and support services to low-income San Antonio residents since 1992.
Project QUEST provided financial resources and supportive services for people pursuing occupational training programs that would lead to careers in the health care industry (including programs varying from seven months to two years). Services included financial assistance for training-related expenses, including tuition; remedial math and reading instruction; counseling services; referral to agencies and direct financial assistance with household utilities, food, child care, and similar expenses; life skills instruction; and job search and placement assistance.
The comparison group did not receive the Project QUEST services but could seek training and courses on their own.
None
People received services for an average of 22 months.
City of San Antonio, Bexar County, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the Meadows Foundation, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation
The program took place in San Antonio, TX.
Job characteristics, housing, assets and debts, and financial distress