A HUGE investment which promises to bring new education and job opportunities to the people of North Yorkshire was announced yesterday.

In a ground-breaking partnership scheme, the county council has signed a seven-year deal worth £12m with a telecommunications company.

The move will lead to the establishment of a county-wide high-speed computer network system, with facilities set up in libraries and other public buildings to give residents online access to learning and employment opportunities provided by the authority.

The scheme, which has been agreed with MLL Telecommunications, will also help the council to meet challenging Government targets to provide more services via the Internet.

The scale of the investment means that extra capacity has been built into the computer system.

This will allow other public sector organisations to buy into the network - reducing costs for all parties in the long-term.

Any remaining capacity will be sold to the private sector in a move it is hoped will open up new technological opportunities for many businesses in the county.

Jeremy Walker, the county council's chief executive, said: "Our objective has been to solve our own information technology problems by creating much wider benefits for the county as a whole.

"I am delighted that following months of negotiations we can now announce that North Yorkshire residents will enjoy the access they deserve to modern technologies.

"This Wide Area Network will enable us to deliver better quality services where people want to access them.

"The county council is very pleased to have instigated such a solution and we hope it will be a model for other councils to use throughout the country."

Demand from businesses and community groups wanting to use the network is already said to be high.

Godfrey Wilson, MLL's managing director, said: "Access to broadband services in North Yorkshire is vital, not only for the county council's own communications, but also for the development of the local economy.

"We are proud to be associated with the extremely innovative approach taken by the county council in bringing the network to North Yorkshire.