AN ADULT learners website is aiming to encourage more women from ethnic communities to get involved in adult education.

Singer Ms Dynamite, Coronation Street's Shobna Gulati and Kumar's comedienne, Shazia Mirza, are just three of many female role models from ethnic communities, yet the number of Asian women looking to make a new start through adult education remains low.

The findings from adult learners site, waytolearn.co.uk, reveal a gender imbalance that exists amongst ethnic communities, with research revealing that only 64 per cent of women are involved in adult education, compared to 72 per cent of men.

Waytolearn also revealed that despite participation in adult education amongst ethnic groups reaching 69 per cent in the UK, the figures disguise the fact that participation amongst Pakistanis and Bangladeshi (45 and 55 per cent respectively) communities is still relatively low.