The project is an attempt to update course offerings and program tracks to better tie them to the state’s energy economy, particularly green jobs. It will result in a wave of program consolidation across the 58-college system, as well as the elimination of almost 100 systemwide courses. The new curriculums will also feature a new “stackable” system of credentials, which are designed to be more seamless as workers go back and forth between jobs and community college.

The overarching goal is to make degree and certificate holders “more employable,” said Randy Durren, a curriculum coordinator and biotechnology instructor at Piedmont Community College.

For that to happen, faculty leaders and administrators decided the colleges needed to adopt systemwide curriculums requiring core skills and competencies that employers want. That also pays off for the system, or so the thinking goes, through more efficient and less redundant course offerings.

“Our goal was not to create one-off programs” at individual campuses, said Scott Ralls, the system’s president. “It’s a curriculum that cuts across 58 colleges.”