Shadow education minister John Hayes has backed the City of Bath College in its fight for funding for a major revamp.

The Conservative spokesman for lifelong learning and further and higher education visited the college yesterday to talk to its leaders about its rebuilding programme.

He was given a tour of the college by Bath's prospective Tory candidate Fabian Richter and principal Matt Atkinson.

The MP said he was impressed by the facilities on offer, as he sat in on political studies lessons and a computing class, before being given a tour of the stonemasonry workshops at the college's Construction Skills Centre.

He declared the importance of funding for further education and expressed concern after funding for the college's £68 million building project was put on hold.

The college announced plans for a complete overhaul of its jaded Avon Street campus back in October, with funding due to be considered in December.

However, just before Christmas, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) halted the £2.3 billion Building Colleges for the Future (BCF) initiative.

Since then the college has been forced to wait, without knowing when or if the money will be approved.

Mr Hayes said practical skills were particularly important in the tough climate and despite the economic downturn he would be fighting to sustain available funding.

He said: "I go to a lot of colleges and whenever I do I am always in wonder and awe of the work that goes on.

"I'm always struck by the majesty of construction and how genius the practical work of the students is.

"It is immensely important because it always helps give them confidence that will gain to their employability and to our economy as a whole.

"We need craft skills for our society in that it gives everyone a sense of worth and purpose and I have seen that in Bath today."

He said there was a funding crisis which would be discussed in parliament on Monday, where he would be expressing the importance of adult and further education.

He said: "It is important to get out of Westminster and see what is happening on the ground and talk to the people that know.

"We are going to debate what is going wrong and how we are going to put it right.

"It affects Bath and more than 150 other colleges up and down the country.

"We need to find a way out of that."

Mr Hayes said a Tory government would bring in a £775 million programme for additional apprenticeships and said because of the many small and medium-sized employers in Bath he would also introduce a £2,000 bonus for each apprentice they took on.

His visit to Bath comes just a few weeks after Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Vince Cable was at the college as part of a tour to discuss the city's survival in the economic downturn.

Mr Atkinson said: "This is the second high-profile politician to visit the college in the last few weeks, which goes to show how education and training remain at the top of the political agenda, even more so at the moment, with the economy in turmoil.

"Together we are calling on employers to invest in the future of our local young people by supporting schemes such as the very successful apprenticeship programme that is run here at the college.

"Now is a key time for our young people to be learning and improving their skills, so they can position themselves ahead of the rest when the economy picks up and recruitment steps up a gear."

Mr Richter, who invited him to the college, said: "Next year John may be the minister in charge of colleges and I want him to know what the needs of the City of Bath College are in these difficult economic times so we can actually deliver things for the local college.

"Their results are very stable and they create jobs for the local economy.

"John needs to know how well the college performs, but also how he could help them become even better."