By Marilyn Thomas
Albert Einstein has been credited with saying: “Learning is experience.
Everything else is just information.” The Center for Advanced Technical
Studies in Chapin applies this philosophy within its educational
programs. Because of the hands-on learning experiences provided there,
many of the students have identified the occupation of their choice
while still in high school and have acquired practical skills that enable them to launch a
career after graduating or to pursue higher education with confidence.
“We’re the bridge between high school and their career and the rest of their life,”
asserts Roy Frick, an administrator who oversees the daily operations at The Center
for Advanced Technical Studies and the assistant director of Career and Technical
Education for Lexington-Richland School District Five. A Lexington County native
and graduate of Gilbert High School, Frick has a bachelor’s in business management
and a master’s in education administration and has spent more than a decade working
in the academic sector in both instructor and administrative roles.
While a career and technical education coordinator at Batesburg/Leesville, “I came
here for a state meeting for career and technical education in 2018 and got to see this
place, which at that point was six years old,” Frick recalls. “We’re now in our fourteenth
school year, but I got to see what was going on here and how special it was.”
The Center for Advanced Technical Studies (aka The Center), located in Chapin and within the jurisdiction of the Lexington-Richland School District Five, is an academic institution that offers a
curriculum approach that is grounded in career and technical education. Potential students tour The Center while in middle school, and in high school, guidance counselors may refer them there,
depending upon their future career goals.
Every week, the facility serves nearly 1,000 students, who walk, drive, or are shuttled from Dutch Fork, Spring Hill, Chapin, and Irmo High Schools or the Five Virtual Program. Classes at The
Center are taught in three-hour sessions in alternating time periods and days of the week. Some of these courses offer dual-enrollment credits, as well as certifications in several career fields.
At The Center, about 20 knowledgeable experts mentor the students and provide practical hands-on
learning in 17 different programs, some of which include: aerospace and civil engineering, architecture, agriculture and biosystems, automotive technology, building construction technology, welding,
culinary arts, cybersecurity, fire and rescue, law enforcement, digital arts, media technology, and veterinary and biomedical science.
Margaret Floyd, a student at The Center, says, “I wanted to take a course at The Center because I was interested in a career in the medical field, and my guidance counselor recommended the BioMed program. I thought it would be a great way to explore healthcare and see if it was something I truly wanted to pursue. It gave me the chance to learn real skills and confirm that nursing is the path I
want to take.”
“I started taking the BioMed program my freshman year because I was interested in becoming a CRNA [certified registered nurse anesthetist], and it ended up shaping my love for the medical field,” she continues. “The hands-on learning and my teachers really helped me understand what working in healthcare is like. Because of this program, I am now going to Anderson University in the fall and majoring in nursing…I couldn’t be more thankful for the past three years in this program!”
Many students, like Floyd, choose to continue their education at a university or technical college. Sometimes connections are made with businesses while studying at The Center, and those companies are willing to assist with higher education expenses. Others begin internships during high school and are offered a full-time position once they graduate.
According to Frick, parents often confide in him that, before their children decide to enter college or a trade, they want their students to explore future career opportunities. Even if a high schooler realizes they dislike a particular occupation while there, Frick still considers this a positive because they can
pivot into a different field. However, every year, he also hopes the students will “leave here with more of a passion than when they started.”
Twice annually, usually in February and September, The Center hosts an open-house showcase event for the public to learn about “the opportunities we can offer,” says Frick. This is advertised in the schools as well as in the greater community, and Frick welcomes parents of all school-aged children to consider visiting The Center.
To coincide with this event in September 2026, The Center plans to have a career-day expo that will feature local industries and invite representatives from those companies to connect with parents and
students. Furthermore, Frick is actively involved with the local Chamber of Commerce
and has intentionally invested in partnerships within the business and educational
sectors by holding Chamber events at The Center’s facilities.
“With career and technical education, constantly, there is going to be change, so in the career and technical field, it’s going to be evolving special technologies,” explains Frick. The leadership of the
school endeavors to respond organically to the current industry trends in the local community by providing relevant educational resources in those fields.
For example, he says, “This year, we introduced HVAC, and we’re the first HVAC school in the Midlands for high school students.” Next year, the school will be the first in the Midlands to offer a drone program, an innovative technology that can be applied in multiple occupational settings. In the not-too-distant future, Frick also shares that the property adjacent to The Center has already been purchased, and plans are underway to use that space to instruct students in large machinery operations.
“We’re here to continue to try to grow their future workforce,” concludes Frick. “We are really trying to prepare the Lexington-Richland Five students to be that next wave—to be able to be our next business owners and be the ones building the next houses and growing our community.”
