Challenging the Status Quo for Immigrant Career Success

Ogaga Johnson does not like taking no for an answer.

As someone who’s moved across countries a few times, this is a trait that has come in handy. Today, she is the CEO and Founder of Verisult Training and Consulting, a company that helps immigrants find meaningful jobs. Johnson thinks immigrants shouldn’t be swayed by the existing narrative out there which is often some version of, ‘You have to start from scratch once in Canada.’ Johnson herself didn’t buy into it.

Originally from Nigeria, and now based in Newfoundland and Labrador (N.L.), Johnson’s path is fueled by resilience, which she credits to her parents. She was inspired by their work ethic and the fact that they managed to maintain investments in a country where things were complex.

Before she turned 18, the family relocated to the U.K. where Johnson was able to complete her Masters in Sustainable Energy Systems. Eventually, she veered into the field of project management. Her first role – a project coordinator intern – was in Nigeria when she went back for one year as part of the Nigerian youth service. Once back in the U.K., she landed a job as an IT project consultant for a top airline group.

After moving to N.L. in 2018, she discovered many individuals responded with the typical well-meaning advice about how she was going to have to start over in one of the lesser-known provinces of Canada. Even so, she made the leap because she was confident that her story was going to be different.

She was right. Within three months of applying for jobs, she was able to secure a role as a project manager at a local EdTech company. “I didn’t have to start from scratch,” she recalls.

Eventually, she pursued her PMP certification, eventually leading to the creation of the Ogaga Johnson Company. Today, it’s transitioned to Verisult Training and Consulting. It all started with Johnson coaching immigrants like herself on how they could utilize project management as a pathway to landing the jobs they wanted.

Verisult offers PM training courses for individuals and organizations, as well as PM consulting services and a career center. The company also helps organizations all over the world to recruit and invest in the right talent. At the heart of what they do is a desire to help individuals and organizations solve the skill mismatch that currently exists in Canada.

Johnson starts by giving the example of a medical doctor. Even if they aren’t able to practise medicine immediately after immigrating to Canada, they still possess a lot of useful skills. These range from problem-solving to empathy and multitasking. “These are people who can become project managers or business analysts in the med-tech space,” Johnson reaffirms.

To date, Verisult has trained over 10,000 people through their free and paid programs, in addition to having up to a 75 per cent placement rate.

Johnson is a firm believer of not wasting the skills that immigrants have to offer in their respective fields. “They don’t have to start by working as a security guard or a cleaner, she says. “Not that there’s anything wrong with those jobs, Johnson added, but the pertinent question remains – ‘Why waste your skills?’”

“Don’t be afraid to go out there and change the status quo,” shared the entrepreneur.