Study Details | Pathways to Work

25209-Project Quality Empl

Study quality: High

High

Reason for the rating: This study received a high study quality rating because it is a low-attrition randomized controlled trial with no known issues that suggest the findings cannot be attributed to the intervention.

Intervention: Project Quality Employment Through Skills Training (QUEST)

Services provided:

Case management, Education, Soft skills training, Supportive services, Training (Occupational or sectoral training), Work readiness activities (Job search assistance)

Setting: Urban only

Study design

Design:

Randomized controlled trial

Study group formation:

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.

Time period of study:

People enrolled in the study from April 2006 to October 2008 and were followed for 11 years thereafter.

Primary outcome domains examined:

Increase short-term earnings, Increase long-term earnings, Increase very long-term earnings, Increase short-term employment, Increase long-term employment, Increase very long-term employment, Decrease very long-term benefit receipt, Increase education and training

Other outcome domains examined:

Job characteristics, housing, assets and debts, and financial distress

Study funded by:

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

Results

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Outcome domain	Measure	Timing	Study quality by finding	Comparison group mean	Intervention group mean	Impact	Units	Sample size
Increase short-term earnings	Annual earnings	Year 1	High	10,721.00	8,920.00	-1,801.00	2007 dollars	410
Increase short-term earnings	Annual earnings	Year 1	High	11,895.00	10,177.00	-1,718.00	2007 dollars	343
Increase long-term earnings	Annual earnings	Year 5	High	20,331.00	24,311.00	3,980.00	2011 dollars	410
Increase long-term earnings	Annual earnings	Year 5	High	20,773.00	24,818.00	4,045.00	2011 dollars	343
Increase very long-term earnings	Annual earnings	Year 11	High	30,884.00	35,500.00	4,616.00	2019 dollars	410
Increase very long-term earnings	Annual earnings	Year 6	High	23,124.00	28,204.00	5,080.00	2012 dollars	343
Increase very long-term earnings	Annual earnings	Year 9	High	28,404.00	33,644.00	5,240.00	2015 dollars	410
Increase short-term employment	Employed in every month, annual	Year 1	High	57.10	72.00	14.90	Percentage points	343
Increase short-term employment	Ever employed, quarterly	Quarter 6	High	69.00	63.00	-6.00	Percentage points	410
Increase long-term employment	Employed in every month, annual	Year 5	High	59.20	66.60	7.40	Percentage points	343
Increase long-term employment	Ever employed, quarterly	Quarter 20	High	71.00	81.00	10.00	Percentage points	410
Increase very long-term employment	Employed in every month, annual	Year 6	High	44.80	45.00	0.20	Percentage points	343
Increase very long-term employment	Ever employed, annual	Year 11	High	73.70	83.80	10.10	Percentage points	410
Increase very long-term employment	Ever employed, quarterly	Quarter 36	High	74.00	82.00	8.00	Percentage points	410
Decrease very long-term benefit receipt	Currently receive Food Stamps/SNAP	Year 6	High	28.40	21.70	-6.70	Percentage points	343
Decrease very long-term benefit receipt	Currently receive SSI	Year 6	High	4.60	6.00	1.40	Percentage points	343
Decrease very long-term benefit receipt	Currently receive WIC	Year 6	High	13.80	9.60	-4.20	Percentage points	343
Decrease very long-term benefit receipt	Received unemployment benefits	Year 11	High	5.70	7.30	1.60	Percentage points	410
Increase education and training	Earned a bachelor's degree	Year 11	High	5.66	4.04	-1.62	Percentage points	410
Increase education and training	Earned a certificate or degree from a training program	Year 11	High	12.60	24.90	12.30	Percentage points	410
Increase education and training	Earned a college degree	Year 6	High	26.30	18.20	-8.10	Percentage points	343
Increase education and training	Earned a vocational certificate or license	Year 6	High	49.10	72.60	23.50	Percentage points	343
Increase education and training	Earned an associate's degree	Year 11	High	14.90	16.30	1.40	Percentage points	410

Short-term outcomes are those measured 18 months or fewer after participants are first offered services. Long-term outcomes are those measured between 18 months and 5 years after participants are first offered services. Very long-term outcomes are those measured 5 years or more after participants are first offered services.

Findings quality key:

High
Moderate

Study quality terms?

The findings quality describe our confidence that a given study’s finding is because of the intervention. We do not display findings that rate low.

Findings key:

A moderate-to-large favorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A moderate-to-large favorable finding that might to be due to chance
A small favorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A small favorable finding that might be due to chance
A favorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
A favorable finding that might be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
A moderate-to-large unfavorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A moderate-to-large unfavorable finding that might to be due to chance
A small unfavorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A small unfavorable finding that might be due to chance
An unfavorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
An unfavorable finding that might be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
A finding that is unlikely to be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size or direction
A finding of no effect that might be due to chance

Favorable findings are impacts in a direction that is socially desirable. Statistical significance indicates the likelihood that a study finding is due to the intervention, rather than due to chance. Findings are described as moderate-to-large if the intervention produced a sufficiently large change in the outcome. An impact receives this designation if the standardized effect size is equal to or greater than 0.25 or equal to or less than -0.25.

Sample characteristics

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.

Age

Mean age

30 years

Sex

Female	88%
Male	12%

Participant race and ethnicity

Black or African American	14%
White, not Hispanic	10%
Unknown or not reported	3%
Hispanic or Latino of any race	74%

The race and ethnicity categories may sum to more than 100 percent if the authors reported race and ethnicity separately; in these cases, we report the category White, rather than White, not Hispanic.

Family status

Married

28%

Participant employment and public benefit status

Had low incomes

100%

Participant education

Had a high school diploma or GED

100%

Specific employment barriers

Were experiencing homelessness

Intervention implementation

Implementing organization:

Project QUEST

Program history:

Project QUEST has provided employment and training programs and support services to low-income San Antonio residents since 1992.

Intervention services:

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.

Mandatory services:

None

Comparison services:

The comparison group did not receive the Project QUEST services but could seek training and courses on their own.

Service receipt duration:

People received services for an average of 22 months.

Intervention funding:

City of San Antonio, Bexar County, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the Meadows Foundation, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation

Cost information:

The average cost of providing the intervention was $8,844 per participant. The average cost of providing comparison group services was $0 per person. The net intervention cost, or difference between the two, was $8,844 per person. This represents how much more it cost to provide intervention services compared to comparison services.

These figures are based on cost information reported by study authors. The Pathways Clearinghouse converted that information to a single amount expressed in 2018 dollars; for details, see the FAQ. This information is not an official price tag or guarantee.

Study publications

Elliott, Mark, and Anne Roder (2017). Escalating gains: Project QUEST’s sectoral strategy pays off, New York: Economic Mobility Corporation. Available at https://economicmobilitycorp.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Escalating-Gains_WEB.pdf.

Roder, Anne, and Mark Elliott (2018). Escalating gains: The elements of Project QUEST’s success, New York: Economic Mobility Corporation. Available at https://economicmobilitycorp.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Elements-of-Project-QUESTs-Success.pdf.

Roder, Anne, and Mark Elliott (2019). Nine year gains: Project QUEST's continuing impact, New York: Economic Mobility Corporation. Available at https://economicmobilitycorp.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/NineYearGains_web.pdf.

Roder, Anne, and Mark Elliott (2021). Eleven year gains: Project QUEST's investment continues to pay dividends, New York: Economic Mobility Corporation. Available at https://economicmobilitycorp.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Mobility_Eleven-Year-Gains.pdf.

View the glossary for more information about these and other terms used on this page.

The Pathways Clearinghouse refers to interventions by the names used in study reports or manuscripts. Some intervention names may use language that is not consistent with our style guide, preferences, or the terminology we use to describe populations.

Study of Project Quality Employment Through Skills Training (QUEST)