METIS Gathers Expert Feedback at First Advisory Board Meeting
- METIS Team
- Inside METIS
The METIS project recently held its first online Advisory Board meeting on 11 May 2026, bringing together project partners and advisory members to review progress, exchange ideas, and gather feedback on the project’s next steps. The meeting focused on how METIS can continue developing practical, evidence-based tools to support midwifery students and newly qualified midwives as they move from education into professional practice.
The meeting opened with an overview of METIS, Midwives’ Eportfolio-supported Transition Into Sustainable Practice, an Erasmus+ project running from September 2025 to August 2028. METIS aims to help prevent stress, burnout, and early career dropout by strengthening final-year midwifery students’ job application skills and supporting newly qualified midwives in developing self-directed learning skills during onboarding.
A key focus was Work Package 2, which bridges education and employment through five connected activities. Partners shared progress on the job application training module, which will be developed as a digital Moodle course. The training will support students with practical skills such as CV writing, application preparation, self-presentation, interview preparation, and reflection on professional competencies. Early focus group findings suggest that students need support not only with how to apply for jobs, but also with understanding where and how to identify suitable opportunities.
The Advisory Board also discussed the planned continuous professional development module. This module will support reflective practice, goal setting, and career planning, helping students and early-career midwives build sustainable habits for lifelong learning. Board members encouraged the team to keep the content practical, focused, and easy to use in real-world settings.
Another important milestone was the update on the personal well-being monitoring study, using Fitbit devices and the BioRICS algorithm. The team shared that the study has received ethics approval, allowing pilot work to begin with final-year students in the participating countries. Advisory Board members welcomed the preventive focus while also raising thoughtful questions about student workload, administrative burden, and support during stressful internship experiences.
The meeting also covered mentorship training using the FeedbackAId game, upcoming train-the-trainer sessions, research on digital readiness and e-portfolio adoption, dissemination progress, EU policy alignment, and the role of the METIS website, newsletter, and social channels.
By the end of the meeting, partners had gathered clear feedback, confirmed next steps, and strengthened collaboration with Advisory Board members. The discussion reinforced a shared commitment to ensuring that METIS outputs are practical, inclusive, and meaningful for midwives, mentors, educators, and employers.
Figure 1. Overview of METIS project work packages and activities.
