CUTTING-edge internet technology could soon revolutionise teaching across Worcestershire, with plans to provide teenagers with tailor-made websites.

The county council, in partnership with Wolverhampton City Council, is one of only five authorities selected to take part in the pioneering Government scheme.

The initiative will see an estimated £7.9m ploughed into a new computer network for 14 to 19-year-olds through a 25-year private finance initiative.

But the scheme, revealed at a meeting of the county council's education and lifelong learning panel, is still in its early stages and will require £2.6m to be found by Worcestershire and Wolverhampton.

Colin Weeden, the authority's head of policy development, said it was an exciting project combining existing technology and new software to boost pupils' access to learning.

He said it would put Worcestershire at the forefront of Britain's information and communication technology learning.

"The aim is to allow individual pupils to access, create and control their own school workspace, wherever they may be," he said.

"A student could be working on a school project but may not have quite finished it by the time they break for holidays, or the weekend.

"It will allow the pupil to access information, whether it be in a school library or even at home.

"They can work at individual speeds and focus on their own personal work development, all on their own, individual site."

The scheme was dreamed up last December, when the Department for Education and Skills invited local authorities to submit an ICT project suitable for PFI.

In January, Worcestershire heard it was on a shortlist of 10. At the end of February, just five had been given the go-ahead.

But panel members agreed the next stage of development would be to put together a full business plan by the autumn, which would go out to tender later in the year.

More than 250 companies have already been contacted.

The technology is expected to filter into the classrooms by 2003.