Leading Conservative Michael Gove joined a select group of students today to get an early glimpse of a new college in Keighley which is due to start courses in September.

The Shadow Secretary for Children, Schools and Families spoke to students who will be moving from the old building in Cavendish Street into the £35 million Keighley campus of Leeds City College in Dalton Lane.

He was accompanied by the Tory’s Keighley candidate, Kris Hopkins, and was escorted round the new building by its principal, Peter Roberts.

Greeting him in the replica cabin of a jet aircraft were child care students Farzana Rafiq, 20, of Spring Gardens, Keighley and Halima Khanom, 19, of Beechcliffe, Keighley.

Both told him they eventually aimed to study university foundation courses.

“I love Keighley and when I qualify, I want to live and work here. It’s a great place,” said Farzana.

On his tour which introduced Mr Gove to the Space Centre, where students will learn engineering maths skills, the motor engineering department and the Skills For Life classroom, he also met a group of students studying hairdressing and beauty.

Among them were Georgina Scrutton, 16, and Sophie Birkett, 15, both students at Oakbank School who said they hoped to take up courses in September.

Mr Gove, who described the building as a “flagship” said he was impressed by the way the course had taken into account local employment needs.

He said: “Further education colleges like this have grown in the last 20 years and have a degree of independence incorporated which has given them the flexibility to respond to local needs.

“And here there have been councillors across the political spectrum who have supported this vision.”

He said education was not just about qualifying for university because there needed to be a range of facilities which allowed youngsters to take on the challenges of more practical skills. “These practical skills are not valued enough yet they are important to our economy.”

Mr Roberts said students coming to Keighley now had a fantastic learning environment. He said: “Hopefully, people will want to come here and make use of this building – they deserve it.”

He said history had shown that a new building acted as a magnet and he was expecting to see an increase in student numbers.

Construction of the new college started in May 2008 and last December it was handed over to Leeds City College.