Over 1,000,000 midwives from around the world now have access to an eLearning platform developed for The International College of Midwives (ICM) by Scotland’s leading digital learning and assessment specialist, eCom Learning Solutions.

The ICM, which is based in the Netherlands, currently comprises 139 Members’ Associations, and represents midwives, midwives’ associations, midwife educators, regulatory authorities and other ICM-related stakeholders. This eLearning platform came about in response to a recent survey of midwives’ associations – representing every ICM region – which highlighted the need for improved and accessible professional development opportunities.

ICM plans to work with partners, including its Members Associations and experts in digital learning to continually create new modules relevant and responsive to the evolving midwifery landscape. The constantly evolving eLearning platform, which is a free-to-access professional resource, currently features five modules:

• Orientation to ICM – covering what it is, what it does and how it works.
• Respectful Maternity Care – to help learners identify disrespect and abuse in maternity care and to follow the steps outlined in the ICM RESPECT toolkit and resources to address this.
• Financial Strengthening of Midwives’ Associations – an overview, for fundraisers, of practical income-generation tools and techniques.
• Mentoring – a specific approach to professional support whereby the mentor and the mentee embark on a mutually agreed, equitable, and reciprocal learning relationship.
• Advocacy – explaining advocacy and its role in advancing the midwifery profession at community, national and international levels.

“ICM firmly believes that, by strengthening the skills of midwives and their associations, we can strengthen the midwifery profession as well as the health and prosperity of future generations,” said Dr Sally Pairman, Chief Executive of the ICM, which is based in the Netherlands.

According to the ICM, the platform’s interactive, online resources – available in all three ICM languages (English, French, Spanish) – aim to:

• Support its Member Associations
• Enhance midwives’ skills
• Support midwife educators including clinical preceptors, midwife education providers, and regulatory authorities in improving and maintaining quality, midwife education
• Inform stakeholders about ICM’s work
• Provide ICM-related organisational and sector training

Wendy Edie, eCom’s Managing Director, commented, “We’re excited to have been able to develop this key learning resource for such a vital – in all sense of the word – industry. We’re able to produce what our customers want – and need – swiftly, efficiently and effectively because of the emphasis we place on building empathy with the client right from the start of the project, followed up by high levels of customer care and support.”

According to an ICM spokesperson, ““The first pillar of a strong midwifery profession is education, to provide a highly competent, qualified workforce.

“We encourage our global midwife community to visit the platform. Our goal is to ensure that learners have a seamless experience within the platform and that the modules’ content is relevant to their professional needs.”

For further details of the ICM’s eLearning platform, contact the ICM or eCom Learning Solutions.

The International College of Midwives (ICM) is an accredited non-governmental organisation representing midwives and midwifery to organisations worldwide to achieve common goals in the care of mothers and new-borns. ICM supports, represents and works to strengthen the professional associations of midwives throughout the world. It comprises 139 Members’ Associations, representing over 1 million midwives globally, in 119 countries across every continent. ICM works closely with the WHO, UNFPA and other UN Agencies; global professional health care organisations including the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), the International Paediatric Association (IPA), the International Council of Nurses (ICN), non-governmental organisations; bilateral and civil society groups.

Since the early 1900s, there were a variety of international meetings of midwives in Europe, apart from between 1914 and 1922, due to World War I. In 1922, the forerunner of the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) – the International Midwives Union (IMU) – was created in Belgium. Meetings of European midwives continued at irregular intervals. Then, in 1954, the reconstituted IMU changed its name to ICM. Originally based in London, in 1999, the ICM Council decided to move the organisation’s Head Office to The Hague, in the Netherlands.

eCom (https://ecomlearningsolutions.com/) creates innovative learning solutions – aimed at increasing learning engagement and driving productivity – to help organisations achieve their goals. With offices in Dunfermline, Scotland, and Athens, Georgia, in the USA, but with customers from around the world, eCom focuses on the delivery, tracking and reporting of workforce learning and development through innovative technologies. Its products and services address a range of workforce management, development and training challenges, including eLearning, online assessment, blended learning, competency management and accreditation.