It’s Midday on Education.

One measure of the quality of a public-school education is how well it prepares students to succeed in the real world after they graduate.

To that end, the Baltimore City Public School System has embraced a state-wide vocational training program called Career and Technical Education, or CTE. Basically, the program offers multiple pathways for high school students, grades 6 to 12, to explore their interests and begin honing career skills.

Students pursuing these CTE pathways learn through hands-on training in industry-standard labs or simulated environments, and they gain experience through internships, apprenticeships, and other work-based learning opportunities.

The CTE program partners with more than 300 Baltimore businesses and non-profits, employers who help prepare young people for success beyond the classroom.

Tom's guests today all play important roles in making the CTE program tick.

Joining Tom in Studio A is Shawn Somerville, a veteran teacher and administrator who joined Baltimore City Schools in 2001. She currently serves as the Director of Career Readiness in City School’s Office of Secondary Success and Innovation.

Donald Manekin is here as well. He’s co-founder of Seawall Development Company, a Baltimore real estate firm. Donald is a businessman with life-long interests in Baltimore education and the teaching community. He served as interim chief operating officer of the Baltimore City Public School system from 2000 to 2002. Today he serves as co-chair of a local advisory council helping to build community support for City School’s Career and Technical Education program…

Later in the hour, Tom speaks with Michael Rosenband, co-founder and executive director of the Requity Foundation, a non-profit that trains and employs CTE students and young professionals in redevelopment projects, and with Justin Pittman, a 2025 graduate of the Carver Vo-Tech High School and now a working member of the Requity team.