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Komatsu technician Caitlyn Hayes has been recognised nationally for her achievements in the trades, taking home the Tradie Trailblazer Award at the 2025 Empowered Women in Trades (EWIT) Gala in Melbourne this month.
The annual EWIT awards celebrate women making an impact across the trades, from apprentices to leaders. The Tradie Trailblazer category honours those who break new ground, inspire others and drive change within their industries.
“It was amazing to not only be recognised as a trailblazer, but to be in a room full of incredible women who are leading the way for others in the trades,” Caitlyn says. “It’s inspiring to see how far the industry has come and how much support there is for women building their careers in this typically male-dominated field.”
Caitlyn is a dual trade-qualified technician in both diesel fitting and automotive electrical and joined Komatsu more than five years ago as a third-year apprentice. Since then, she’s built a career that has taken her from Queensland to Western Australia and is now working as a mobile plant mechanic in the Pilbara with Komatsu’s contracts team.
“No two days are the same, which I love. At the moment I’m working across two customer sites in Port Hedland in iron ore, manganese and salt. The crew and I work on breakdowns, servicing and mid-life repairs. Every day there’s a new challenge thrown your way, the Pilbara conditions definitely keep you on your toes, but it keeps it exciting and has pushed me to grow more as a tech working independently in the field,” she says.
“I’ve faced a few challenges along the way, including a redundancy during the drought and completing two trades back-to-back, but I’ve persevered and had a heap of support to get me to where I am today.”
Caitlyn’s mentors nominated her for the award after seeing her journey from apprentice to qualified dual tradesperson. Judges recognised her resilience, her work mentoring and training of apprentices, and her contribution to Komatsu’s apprentice recruitment campaigns that helped increase female apprentice intakes to near 50/50 across Queensland and nationally.
Caitlyn has also spent the past six years volunteering as mechanical support for the Fraser Coast Dunga Derby – Rally for a Cause, giving back to her home community.
Looking ahead, Caitlyn plans to complete her Cert IV in Training and Assessing to help train the next generation of technicians.
“It’s important to always have something new to work towards and to never stop learning. For anyone else in my position thinking of a career in trades, just give it a go. There’s so much opportunity here if you’re willing to chase it.
“My mentors have supported me for years, and it’s really special that they nominated me. I hope I can do the same for others in my position in the future.”
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