JDA's new mining team consultant Dean Ilott attended the Australian Journal of Mineral's National Coal Miners Summit 2005 held at the Mackay Entertainment Centre in Queensland.

Dean gave a presentation on the skills shortage in the mining industry, examining the reasons for and consequences of the lack of skilled trades people and professionals in mining, both in Australia and around the world. He also cited what can be done at enterprise, educational and government levels to improve the situation and how JDA's recruiting experience and new service of sponsoring the hiring of skilled employees from overseas can help Australian companies acquire the workforce they need to get the job done.