The 'Train to Gain' research by KnowledgePool reported on by TrainingZONE last week also reveals that less than half of the freelance community invests in any form of training. As freelancers usually have to fund training themselves, this is not surprising, but the study also reveals that freelancers who don't train don't feel the need to.

A quick glance at some of the online services currently available for freelancers reveals a telling lack of information on training - www.freeagent.com has a comprehensive range of services including an area devoted to benefits and one where you can search for available projects, but the training area has yet to be fully developed, and www.freelancers.net only covers jobs.

Of those freelancers who do undertake training, a far greater emphasis is placed on Internet and IT skills than softer skills, such as presentation and communication. This is likely to reflect the fact that the IT industry has a large number of freelance staff, and they are likely to need training on software or hardware to keep apace of changes (and hence remain in employment). The study found that freelancers view training as an investment, but the flipside of this is that it is income and contract-dependent.