LiveWire Electrical & Design

It's not just their pair of green and black Renaults, a Trafic & a Kangaroo, that makes them unique, Livewire Electrical & Design's all-female workforce comprises owner Kylie Slade and her daughter Chelsea, along with apprentice Tayla Ritchie.

Crawling under houses, up ladders, into roofs, lugging coils of wire, coping with spiders and other nasties, are all in a day's work for this intrepid trio. Becoming an electrician wasn't Kylie's first choice; her vocational change was sparked by a downturn in the hospitality industry that left her jobless. "After 14 years in hospitality I found myself unemployed," said Kylie, "Then I got a job helping wrap houses with insulation. From there I started with Laser Electrical in Ballarat but was soon told to take on an apprenticeship, or risk not being kept on."

So, in her early 30's, Kylie was back in the classroom, surrounded by students not much older than her own kids, working her way through trade school. After completing the first two years of her apprenticeship, work dropped off and this time she was let go. Undaunted, Kylie contacted local electricians and found work. She completed her apprenticeship, staying on with a local electrician until another downturn and another bout of unemployment.

Determined to break the vicious cycle, and now qualified, Kylie's husband Brad suggested she have a go on her own. "I'd never dreamt of working for myself, but Brad's encouragement and the opportunity to provide an apprenticeship for (eldest daughter) Chelsea, whose ambition was to become an electrician as well, were the motivating factors four years ago to establish Livewire Electrical & Design," said Kylie.

As the word spread about Livewire Electrical & Design's excellent work, the business started growing, allowing Chelsea to complete her apprenticeship, and the business took on another female apprentice, Tayla Ritchie, who started in January 2016.

Moving from hospitality, with starched white linen and sterling-silver cutlery to overalls, a tool kit, steel-capped work boots and a sandwich on site, was totally a foreign move for Kylie, though the move rekindled her interest in houses and design from her school days.

"I wanted to be an architect back then, so I started looking for jobs in the building game and then I undertook my apprenticeship which was quite challenging, but I got through it and here I am today."

Now well-established through word of mouth and the sign-written Renaults, like any small business Livewire Electrical & Design's early days were an emotional roller-coaster. "Friday afternoon would arrive and I'd be worrying about the next week, then over the weekend the phone would ring and we would pick up jobs." 

"Some people are excited about having a female tradie working for them and we get alot of work from women living on their own, who feel more comfortable having us in their house."

Kylie admits she couldn't sit at a desk, and loves being on the go and working with clients to find solutions that make their life easier. "We do a bit of everything," she says, from moving a light switch to complete wiring of old homes, and industrial jobs like the dairy we have recently wired. I enjoy working on upmarket new homes where I can use my creative flair."

Looking to the future, Kylie aims to grow the business and give more girls the opportunity to learn the trade. "Although I haven't given it much thought, a fleet of Livewire Electrical 7 Design vans, with female staff servicing other areas of Victoria would be cool," she muses.