The role of space and place on independent worker skills development and productivity.

技能培训和发展在整个国民经济中代表了生产力和增长的很大一部分（Keep, Mayhew & Payne, 2006），但与传统就业相比，独立工人（没有雇员的自营职业者）的技能培训和发展没有补贴（Kalleberg, 2000; Ekinsmyth, 2002），这使得他们完全有责任跟上技能和网络的快速发展。为了学习技能，独立工人与伦敦和东南部等密集劳动力市场的其他独立工人接触（Houston & Reuschke, 2017），其中工人可以合作并分享知识（Gertler, 2008）。然而，许多人也在农村地区和其他地方取得了成功，而另一些人则由于当地经济资源贫乏、失业、为人父母、经济手段贫穷以及缺乏以往的商业经验而难以学习技能。通过探索地理环境、技能要求以及独立工作者如何与周围资源合作，我希望解决两个研究问题：不同地区如何适应或抑制独立工作者的技能发展；在不同的经济条件下，独立工作者如何管理他们工作的个性化？现有的数据集和定量方法可能无法充分捕捉到独立工人的生活方式或技能发展领域。因此，我最初的研究建议打算遵循定性方法来跟踪独立工人的案例研究，可能侧重于两个特定部门。在更远的地方，博士可能会引导更多的农村生态系统或英格兰北部和苏格兰的共同城市化。

Skills training and development represent a large part of productivity and growth throughout the national economy (Keep, Mayhew & Payne, 2006), but compared to traditional employment, independent workers (self-employed without employees) are not subsidized for their skills training and development (Kalleberg, 2000; Ekinsmyth, 2002), which leaves the responsibility to keep up with the fast moving nature of skills and networks entirely to them. To learn skills, independent workers engage with other independent workers in thick labour markets such as London and the South East (Houston & Reuschke, 2017), wherein workers can collaborate, and share knowledge (Gertler, 2008). However, many also find success in rural areas, and other, whereas other struggle to learn skills as a result of poor local economic resources, employment redundancy, parenthood, poor financial means, and lack of previous business experience. By exploring geographical context, skills requirements and how independent workers work with their surrounding resources, I hope to address two research questions: How do different areas accommodate or inhibit skills development for independent workers; And how do independent workers manage the individualized nature of their work in areas with different economic conditions? Existing datasets and quantitative methodologies may not sufficiently capture the sphere of independent worker lifestyle or skills development. Therefore, my initial research proposal intends to follow a qualitative methodology to follow case studies of independent worker, likely with a focus on two certain sectors. Further afield, the PhD, could potentially steer toward more rural ecosystems or co-urbanisation in the North of England and Scotland.