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Women in Power

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Ellen Goff’s career began when she accepted some good advice that wasn’t meant for her.

“You should get a trade—you will always have work, make money while you learn, work anywhere in the world and you don’t have to sit at a desk all day,”. That kind advice was from Ellen’s mother to her brother.

Her brother may not have taken on the advice, but for Ellen, a light bulb went off. “From that moment I decided I was going to learn a trade,” she says.

Today, Ellen is an electrician with the ACT‘s energy network provider Evoenergy and studying an associate degree in power engineering.

“I have had so many opportunities and I want other women to know they can do this too.

“Evoenergy has not only supported me through my apprenticeship, work life and study, I have also had the flexibility, whilst starting my own family, to support and enjoy home life equally.

“Through my apprenticeship, I was given the opportunity to also learn domestic wiring, and the feeling of accomplishment when you can rough in—cut in—and fit off an entire house is empowering!

“I am naturally a shy person, so deciding to become an electrician was quite daunting when you consider women account for less than three per cent of trade jobs in the ACT. I look back now and laugh, but at the time I was so worried about not knowing the name of any tool, let alone how to use them.”

But Ellen quickly learned that, like many jobs, there were many misconceptions about this traditionally male role.

“By busting a few myths about being an electrician, I’m hoping more women will apply for jobs like this,” she explains. “It’s not about your head it’s about your heart: I always found sitting in a classroom trying to learn theory hard and I struggled with math and science. I like being outdoors, working in a team and learning the hands-on way.”

“I was worried about the maths component of this job, but found with the support, mentoring and tutoring offered I was able to excel. I am proud to say that I am now studying engineering.

“It’s not about being strong, it’s about being smart—being an electrician can be physically challenging sometimes. You may find yourself crawling through manholes, under houses and climbing ladders but there hasn’t been a physical element to my role that I haven’t been able to complete.”

Ellen adds that the job has also given her independence within the home.

“You’ll never be a damsel in distress again. No matter the task at home, I fix things—my daughter and son come to me when a light needs changing, when screws come loose or anything needs fixing. It’s great that in our household it’s not unusual for mum to be the handy one.”

She’s also quick to add that the training doesn’t end when you finish your apprenticeship and that options for career growth are diverse and many.

“Being an electrician won’t dim your ambition,” she says. “Once you finish your apprenticeship and you become an electrician, it doesn’t end there—you could go on to work for yourself or take on a managerial role or engineering as I have—the opportunities are endless.

“This job has made me very ambitious, and the best thing about working for a well-known, respected and successful business such as Evoenergy is that you will always be supported—whether that’s through flexibility or learning opportunities, or, in my case, both. I also hope that in the future I will be an inspiration to my own daughter.

Evoenergy is recruiting for its next round of Electrical Fitters and has two positions available. To find out more about what it takes to become an electrical fitter visit evoenergy.com.au/careers/apprenticeships or email recruitment@evoenergy.com.au if you have any questions.

This is a sponsored editorial. For more information on sponsored editorials, click here.

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