BUILDING OPPORTUNITY in SAN ANTONIO
How Project QUEST Is Strengthening Our City
This edition of Food • Home • Opportunity was written by Francisco Martinez.
About Francisco: Francisco Martinez is the 7th President and CEO of Project QUEST. A first-generation college student and son of immigrants, he understands firsthand the power of education to change lives and is committed to expanding opportunity for working adults in San Antonio.
How Project QUEST Is Strengthening Our City
The strength of a city is measured by the opportunities available to its people. In San Antonio, thousands of hardworking adults are ready to move forward but lack access to the education and training that lead to stable careers. For them, opportunity is not an idea. It is education and training that lead to a living wage career. It is benefits, stability, and generational change.
That is where Project QUEST comes in.
Project QUEST was born out of organized community leadership. In 1990, COPS/Metro leaders listened to working families who were doing everything right but still falling behind. They did not ask for charity. They demanded access. They worked with employers, colleges, and the City to design a workforce model that would remove barriers and create real economic mobility. Project QUEST was the community’s answer.
The problem was not motivation. It was access. The education and workforce systems were not designed with working adults in mind. They were not built for parents balancing childcare, jobs, and bills. They were not built for someone who cannot afford to stop working in order to attend school.
So San Antonio built a solution in 1992.
Today, Project QUEST serves about 2,500 adults each year. The average participant is 31 years old and earns about $14,000 annually, often while supporting a family. The drive is there. The work ethic is there. What is missing is access and the support needed to navigate a system that was not built for them.
QUEST serves as the partner, the expert, and the facilitator on that journey. We walk hand in hand with our participants. We see their potential. We understand the strength and value of lived experience. Many of the adults we serve have navigated challenges that have shaped their resilience and determination. Instead of asking them to figure out a complicated system alone, we guide them through it.
Project QUEST partners with local colleges and training providers to connect adults to high-paying, in-demand careers in healthcare, information technology, and skilled trades. These industries offer stability, benefits, and room for advancement. But access to a training program alone is not enough.
What makes Project QUEST unique is its wraparound support model. Participants receive career coaching, job readiness training, and financial or emergency assistance when eligible. We help with tuition assistance. We help solve barriers. We coordinate with training partners. We prepare participants not just to enroll, but to persist and complete.
The results are measurable and life-changing! Graduates see an average starting wage of around $50,000 per year at initial placement. These jobs come with benefits and clear pathways for continued growth. Participants experience an average 200 percent increase in wages compared to before entering QUEST. That kind of change transforms households.
Opportunity Makes an Economic Impact
Over the past three decades, Project QUEST has served more than 15,000 individuals and contributed billions of dollars in economic impact to the region. Its model has been evaluated at the national level and has inspired similar workforce programs nationwide. Yet at its core, this work remains deeply local.
It is about a parent who can now afford stable housing. It is about a graduate who now has access to employer-paid healthcare. It is about families building a new financial foundation that can last for generations.
Opportunity does not happen by accident. It is built with intention. When we design systems that work for adults who are ready to learn and are ready to thrive, we strengthen our workforce, grow our economy, and build a more resilient San Antonio.
If you or someone you know is ready to begin a new chapter, Project QUEST is here to help.
Thank you to Francisco Martinez for agreeing to share how his organization wants to be a part of Opportunity Solutions in our community!
Visit www.questsa.org and start your QUEST to a new career today.
We need more of these programs across the country. Amazing.