A homeless "college" is being created in Oxford in a bid to keep people off the streets.

The pilot project is being established to provide more learning opportunities for homeless people in the city in a bid to transform their lives.

The local authorities and key partners including local homeless hostels, charities and support agencies have successfully bid for Government funding worth £80,000.

The homeless college will be a network of local learning centres located in homeless shelters across the city, equipped with computers and Internet access to offer homeless clients online learning opportunities.

The project builds on several initiatives developed in Oxford in recent years including the creation of the Learning Zone at Lucy Faithful House, basic skills programmes at Luther St Medical Centre as well as creative writing at the Gatehouse caf.

John Ord, head of Oxfordshire County Council's community learning support unit, said: "Our intention is to make sure that the learning programmes are relevant and support people in the process towards independent living."

Nerys Parry, street homeless coordinator at Oxford City Council, added: "This is a great opportunity to develop an innovative approach to learning for homeless people."