A recent article published by Chemical Processing highlighted a growing conversation taking place across the industrial sector on how to better prepare today’s workforce for increasingly complex operational environments.
The article highlighted Index AR Solutions’ presentation at eChem Expo 2026 where Samuel Elkins, Senior Manager for App Production, explored how Bloom’s Taxonomy can serve as a powerful framework for industrial workforce development.
Originally developed in 1956 by educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom and later refined for modern education, Bloom’s Taxonomy outlines six stages of learning progression:
Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate and Create.
While the framework has long been used by leading academic institutions such as Harvard University and Yale University, Index believes the same principles can transform industrial training programs as well.
According to the article, many organizations stop training employees at the “apply” stage – where workers can perform tasks in familiar environments – but fail to advance learning into higher-level critical thinking and decision-making.
That gap becomes increasingly important as manufacturers, utilities and industrial facilities face workforce shortages, accelerated retirements and rapidly evolving technologies.
“If we have the opportunity to take it to that next level of analyze, evaluate and create, we want to do that because we feel like that is going to create a more well-rounded training experience,” Elkins said during the session.
During the presentation, Elkins demonstrated how immersive, multi-modal learning and augmented reality-enhanced training can support progression through Bloom’s Taxonomy. One example highlighted a gas furnace troubleshooting scenario where trainees identify intentionally missing components within a virtual environment, requiring them to analyze systems and apply knowledge rather than simply memorize procedures.
The discussion also emphasized that advanced learning is not linear. In some cases, organizations may need to revisit foundational knowledge before employees can effectively advance to higher-order problem-solving skills.
For Index, that philosophy aligns directly with the company’s mission to help organizations move beyond passive training models toward immersive learning experiences that improve retention, strengthen workforce readiness and prepare employees to operate confidently in real-world environments.
As industries continue modernizing operations and infrastructure, workforce development can no longer focus solely on transferring information. The future belongs to organizations that can develop workers capable of analyzing situations, making informed decisions and adapting to new challenges independently.
Lean more about Index training solutions at indexarsolutions.com/training-programs.
Index in the News: How Bloom’s Taxonomy Is Reshaping Industrial Workforce Training
