The first use of the EP, in preparing for professional practice, is discussed in the study by Carl and Strydom (2017) [3], whose goal is to determine whether the theoretical foundations and expectations of the EP align with the current practices and attributes of students’ training during their practice. For these authors, EPs are increasingly considered in pre-service teacher education programs to enable Education students to reflect during and on their practice in a structured way. Such reflection enables students to demonstrate growth and development as professionals. This study also analyzes the daily reflections and regular online interactions online with classmates and members of the project. Institutions play an important role in implementing theoretical foundations and teacher training, as well as in the reconceptualization and understanding of what is really valued in professional practice. Whether the EP is considered as a professionalization tool or as a tool for representation of effective practice, creating the EP involves a series of phases: orientation, novice, advanced beginner, approaching competence, and graduation/entry into the profession (Clarke and Boud, 2016) [18]. This study concludes that feedback is important to achieving the learning outcomes. Similarly, a study by Jorre and Oliver (2018) [19] based on students’ perceptions indicates that increasing their capability for employability requires receiving advice from employers, professionals, and recent graduates.

Along similar lines, the study by Faulkner et al. (2013) [4] on the fields of Engineering and Law analyzes whether the EP would train students to articulate their achievements and understand professional frameworks. The low level of reflection and training for personal development in the study’s results is not surprising, since individuals automatically orient themselves to their comfort zones—that is, students prefer to maintain their current perspective instead of looking for ways to develop. While EPs help to capture evidence of development, their value is limited to students who appreciate personal and professional development, as in the study by Beckers et al. (2016) [20]. On the other hand, including formative comments by mentors, classmates, and others encourages and supports the process of transforming students into professionals [4,13]. The study by Pool et al. (2018) [21] illuminates how advisors interpret the student’s professional training in their portfolio (traditional, not electronic) and concludes that different mental models for evaluating performance influence judgments by evaluators, potentially affecting the feedback and thus credibility of their decisions.

Hallam and Creagh (2010) [22] report that anticipating professional practice increases understanding of the need for interoperability among the different areas of education and employment significantly. The report argues that the EP should not be ignored if higher education wishes to fulfill its function of producing qualified professionals who will play an important role in the success of the community and economy. Higher education should thus transform its policies so that future workers can develop the skills, competencies, values, and behaviors that improve their employability, as indicated by the research by Okolie et al. (2020) [23], Olivares-García et al (2020) [24], and Reddy (2019) [25]. In this sense, several research studies suggest that educational programs must be evaluated and adapted to incorporate strategies for the development of self-managed employability by university students so that they are able to respond to the demands of employers [26,27]. Not only can the EP become a tool to improve learning skills and competencies, but it can also contribute to improving employability and business skills by bringing them closer to the current business landscape [28]. This process is what Yan et al. (2016) [29] call productive learning, which is characterized by a motivation for learning conditioned by intrinsic interests, self-management, and self-reflection skills, as well as collaborative work.