iving on the federal minimum wage — $5.15 per hour — isn't easy. And making ends meet is even tougher with a job not covered by federal minimum wage laws. Worse yet, some jobs — (such as farm laborers, domestic workers, and waiters) — aren't even covered by Georgia's minimum wage of $3.15 per hour.

A minimum-wage future isn't usually a problem for college-bound high school students. But it could be for many Georgians. Nearly one-third of Georgia high school students graduate. And of those, about one-third of white high school graduates and one-half of African-American high school graduates don't go to college.

Traditionally, technical education and post-high school job training are tried-and-true ways to launch a career and avoid the bottom rungs of the economic ladder.

Now high school students have a new alternative. Manufacturing training programs, springing up in places like Valdosta, Ga., are giving them the option of specific career training even before they get their diplomas.

For example, 16 of the 17 high school students enrolled in Valdosta's first Certified Manufacturing Specialist (CMS) program graduated in January 1999. The new job-training partnership-formed by Valdosta Technical Institute, Valdosta and Lanier County high schools, and 17 area businesses-combines a rigorous course of study with down-to-earth apprenticeships.

During the first semester, CMS students receive hard-nosed instruction about work and business ethics. While they are finding out how important it is to be dependable, they also are learning basic manufacturing and business skills. Second semester is all about good, old-fashioned, on-the-job training as the students become apprentices with local industries in the partnership.

For the first class of Valdosta CMS students, one graduation present was the ease of finding good jobs. All have landed jobs in manufacturing, often starting out at 50 percent more. than the federal minimum wage. some had as many as three job offers from partnership businesses.

"It was a 'win-win-win' situation for everybody," said Lynne Wilson, Valdosta High School's apprenticeship coordinator. "Students got good jobs, businesses and industries received well-trained employees, and educational institutions benefited, too."

Wilson and Mike Bass, vice president for business and industry service at Valdosta Tech, were instrumental in jumpstarting the innovative, community-based program. Students get top-quality instruction while earning a high school diploma. Of course, without the strong partnership with area businesses, the whole project would have fallen flat.

"We kept hearing how desperate area industry is for good entry-level manufacturing employees. We began to talk about what we could do for a CMS program in the high school, but all kinds of people told us it couldn't work," Bass said.

Among the early skeptics was John Hunt, regional human relations manager for Lowe's regional distribution center in Valdosta. The center services 112 stores throughout the South and employs 700 persons locally.

"I was very leery, but we participated," he said. "When we went to interview the students, they had interview skills and beautiful resumes-everything they needed. We interviewed 12 students and took on 12 students, while ordinarily we only hire one out of every three applicants. I'm really excited about the program-it's been extremely successful."

Students said the CMS work is more difficult than regular high school classes. If they skipped a CMS class, they got a "zero" for the day, regardless of the excuse. They made their own list of rules-including no sleeping in class-which shows how serious they were about getting work skills.

CMS student Zaira Vasquez, 17, said it was tough keeping up with the stringent demands of CMS study. "I had to have some special help with my math."

Vasquez won't begin her CMS job until she turns 18 in a few months because federal safety regulations prohibit her from working in a manufacturing setting until then. "But I recommend CMS to students anywhere," she said. "What I learned in work ethics and in basic manufacturing skills will help me wherever I am."