Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to list and demonstrate areas in which research needs to be carried out, or questions answered, in order to raise the quality of technical education. Design/methodology/approach: The area of technical education expanded very rapidly in the late 1950s, and there was little comprehensive knowledge regarding the philosophy and practice. Areas of technical education that needed research included: How far does success in a school subject such as English or mathematics correlate with success in a technical subject? For how many and which courses at technical colleges does a student need to have more or less than average intelligence? What techniques can be used to fill any gaps existing in a student's knowledge before he embarks on a technical course? Are all students to receive the same industrial experiences (e.g. operating machines, bench work, drawing office, etc.)? Findings: The paper lists six main areas in which research into technical education needs to be carried out: selection for courses; variety within classes; co-ordination with industry; teaching methods; libraries; and technical education as a subject. Originality/value: The paper is one of the first to suggest that educational research had been hitherto neglected, and that there is a need for research to be carried out into the relatively new area of technical education. The paper lists areas of technical education which need to be investigated in order to raise the quality of the field. [This article was first published in "Technical Education," Volume 1 Issue 1 (1958/1959), and is being republished as part of a Special Issue to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the journal, which is now called "Education + Training."]