Brain training on an accounting course

Many scientific investigations rely on quite small numbers of volunteers for their data. Not so when the BBC is carrying out the investigation as in the corporation's research into the effectiveness of so-called 'brain training' software programmes. We should not be surprised to learn that the BBC found no evidence that the benefits of playing brain training games transfer to other brain skills.

We might think, then, that such exercises are worthless especially given Dr Adrian Owen's comment that, "Brain training is only as good as spending six weeks using the internet. There is no meaningful difference." We would be wrong, though, to be completely dismissive. The Internet, after all, is not only the source of much of our information including news, blogs, maps etc, but also provides a great deal of stimulation as we click from RSS feed to blog to tweet to personal home page. Using the Internet has become a highly skilled activity in its own right that we develop by practice in exactly the same way as a brain training game.

The usefulness of the Internet goes well beyond the opportunity for us to show our dexterity in using a multitude of online resources. There are numerous wonderful free courses that actually enable you to learn a particular skill. The free online bookkeeping taster course from the Accounting and Bookkeeping College is a prime example of how you can learn something highly worthwhile, basic accountancy in this case, whilst also keeping you brain in training: so much better than paying for a toy application on a games console.

Do It Yourself

After the televised debate last night between the would-be chancellors in the next parliament it is clear that all parties are committed to cutting public expenditure. The current rate of government spending is, after all, unsustainable. Whether they are reluctant to publish detailed plans for fear of losing votes amongst those who will inevitably lose their jobs or whether, as we suspect, they simply don't know where they can save the vast sums needed to balance the books, none of the parties is giving us much detail as to where those cuts will fall.
One unfortunate area of public spending, however, already knows that its budget has been slashed, the further education sector. Long considered to be the 'Cinderella' of the education system, the further education colleges are expecting a £200 million cut this year. We are inclined to agree with the Assistant Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges, Julian Gravatt, who says, "We are calling on the Chancellor to help protect these courses and the students they serve. We know that the Treasury is under significant pressure to further curtail public spending but cutting courses that are so essential to our recovery is a false economy." We are not hopeful that the cuts will be reversed, though.
The remedy according to the Department for Business Innovation and Skills is to 'cut funding to lower priority courses' and 'to aim for the largest simplification of the skills landscape for many years'. That way, apparently, colleges will be able to deliver more worthwhile training for less money. In the process the DBIS is hoping that more vocational training will be paid for by the students themselves and their employers. It is easy to see how this might be more efficient but we cannot imagine that it will lead to more skills training.
For most adults what the government is effectively saying is that you should 'do it yourself' when it comes to training for work. Perhaps this is a reflection of the fact that there are good courses available from training providers such as the Accounting & Bookkeeping College like our course for the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers' Certificate.