Are We Closing the Gap? : A NIACE Briefing on Participation in Learning by Adults from Minority Ethnic Groups

The research data in this book indicate that, collectively, adults from Britain's black and minority ethnic communities participate in learning in similar proportions to the general adult population.

However, this conceals significant differences between different minority ethnic groups, with some exhibiting extremely low levels of participation in adult learning.

It is clear that the challenge is most extreme for adults identifying themselves with the Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities.

For women, the rate is lower still. That said, it is comforting to note that the decline in levels of participation amongst Pakistani adults is less marked than for other groups.

These findings are a challenge to the government's commitment to ensuring social cohesion and access to the labour market to all communities in the UK through lifelong learning.