SECOND SHIFT · FROM THE FIELD
San Francisco, California · Automotive repair · Nonprofit training to apprenticeship
Originally reported by Jillian D'Onfro, The San Francisco Standard, Oct. 10, 2026
Isaia Butler left San Jose State University, where he studied biomedical engineering, and chose a paid path into auto repair instead, The San Francisco Standard's Jillian D'Onfro reported.
Butler, 23, joined the automotive program at JVS, a San Francisco workforce nonprofit, after deciding that taking on student loans for an uncertain job market wasn't worth it, according to the Standard. He completed an apprenticeship at Muni, San Francisco's transit system, through JVS, then landed a job at O'Reilly, the Standard reported.
"The automotive trade feels safe right now," he told the paper. He said he plans to open his own auto shop one day.
Butler appears in a broader Standard story on young San Franciscans choosing trades over office work. JVS's automotive program once trained five to 12 people a year; with an investment from the city's Office of Economic and Workforce Development, it has 55 students this year and plans to expand to 70, the Standard reported. Half of the nonprofit's 110 recent trades applicants were Gen Z, according to the story.
Location Decision takeaway
A public transit agency served as the training site between a nonprofit program and a private-sector job. Large public maintenance operations can anchor apprenticeships even when graduates move on to private employers. The JVS figures, as reported by the Standard, also show that city funding, not just applicant demand, set how many seats the program could offer.
Read the original reporting at The San Francisco Standard → Touch grease: Gen Z ditches office work for hands-on careers
Second Shift tells the stories of people building what’s next through new skills, new careers and second chances. From the Field items are curated from credited reporting, with Location Decision’s perspective. Location Decision Originals are independently reported by our team.
Curated by Location Decision. Originally reported by Jillian D'Onfro, The San Francisco Standard, Oct. 10, 2026.
This item was sourced and drafted with AI assistance and reviewed under Location Decision’s editorial standards. Second Shift tracks workforce outcomes to inform our broader editorial analysis. All reporting belongs to the credited journalists; read the original story for the full account.