About CORCAN
Overview of CORCAN
Descriptive text: Overview of CORCAN
Revenues Generated from On-the-Job Training Outputs
Through on-the-job training, offenders experience real-world employment by producing tangible products and services that are sold to clients (primarily other government departments). During the 2024 to 2025 fiscal year, proceeds from these activities totalled 97.1 million dollars, which was fully reinvested in the CORCAN program to help fund future training.
Various Employment Services Offered to Offenders
CORCAN provides different employment services to assist offender find and maintain employment upon release. These include:
- Vocational training – offenders earn industry-recognized certificates
- Transitional employment – offenders under community supervision can work at a CORCAN Community Industries location
- Employment Coordinator services – assist offenders to find employment and access community employment services
Net Proceeds Fully Reinvested in the CORCAN Program
Financial Resources (Limited Departmental Funding)
Every year, CORCAN receives funding from the Correctional Services of Canada called “Correctional and Training Fees.” This departmental funding allows CORCAN to cover the costs of employment services not directly related to revenue-generating activities such as classroom vocational training. The majority of CORCAN’s funding, however, is derived from its revenues. In the 2024 to 2025 fiscal year, 73.21% of CORCAN’s funding came from the revenues generated from on-the-job training.
Offender On-the-Job Training
During the 2024 to 2025 fiscal year, CORCAN provided on-the-job training opportunities to over 2,700 offenders through its five business lines:
- Construction
- Manufacturing
- Textiles
- Services
- Agriculture
On this page
History of CORCAN
Correctional industries play an important role in the daily operation of correctional institutions and the reintegration of offenders to the community. They provide employment interventions that help offenders to address their correctional plan and offer meaningful daily activities.
The role of CSC’s offender employment program has changed significantly since its start. In the 19th century, prison industry was a punishment meant to reform the misguided. In the early 20th century, it was seen as an important component in the rehabilitative process. Today, the employment and employability program contributes to the reintegration of federal offenders by providing skills, knowledge and training to assist them with employment upon their release. This has a positive impact on public safety.
The ultimate goal of CSC’s offender employment and employability program is to help offenders to find and maintain employment in the community by building important skills, including providing:
- technical, transferable, and essential skills
- job search services
- employability services
This helps offenders:
- reintegrate into the community, and
- find and keep employment while under community supervision
The creation of CORCAN
In 1980, CSC launched the CORCAN trademark as part of the CSC correctional industry program. In 1992, the government approved CORCAN as a special operating agency (SOA). Because of this new status, CORCAN began to:
- strengthen partnerships with private sector firms
- build capacity for program delivery by reinvesting the revenues back into the program
- increase opportunities for other government departments to contribute to priorities through acquiring from or partnering with CORCAN
The result for inmates was:
- more realistic working conditions and scenarios, and
- increased responsibilities
As CORCAN evolved its operations and practices, offenders:
- gained valuable trade experience, and
- learned useful life skills
CORCAN timeline
- 2024: In late 2024, CORCAN chose not to continue International Organization for Standards (ISO) 9001 certification as CORCAN established a Quality Management System that includes robust and streamlined internal audits that meets or exceeds ISO standards.
- 2020: CORCAN Kingston location integrates the community-based training and transitional employment program under the umbrella of the Kingston Community Industry:
- warehouse
- inventory management
- installations
- design
- sales, and
- administrative offices
- 2020: Community industry activities commence for client installations in the Atlantic Region.
- 2019: Community industry activities commence for client installations in the Prairie and Ontario Regions.
- 2019: In collaboration with three Indigenous organizations, the National Employment Skills Program for Indigenous offenders launches, which includes curriculums for Indigenous men and Indigenous women.
- 2019: Edmonton Community Industry opens in Edmonton, Alberta.
- 2018: Community industry commences client installations (such as office space installations) in the Quebec Region.
- 2018: Penitentiary farms reopen, reimplementing the CORCAN agriculture business line, at Collins Bay and Joyceville Institutions.
- 2018: Saskatoon Community Industry opens in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
- 2017 to 2018: Indigenous Offender Employment Initiative commences implementation in the Prairie Region.
- 2015 to 2016: CSC fully integrates responsibility for vocational training within CORCAN.
- 2012: CORCAN signs a national memorandum of understanding for ongoing partnership with Habitat for Humanity
- 2009 to 2011: Penitentiary farms as part of the agriculture business line close across the country and CORCAN implements new initiatives.
- 2006: CORCAN develops and launches the National Employability Skills Program (NESP) in collaboration with Conference Board of Canada, which includes a curriculum for men and a curriculum for women.
- 2000: CSC establishes employment coordinator functions in each region and later transfers them to CORCAN responsibility.
- 2000: CORCAN commences collaboration with Habitat for Humanity.
- 1998: CORCAN moves the National Engineering and Technical Services Centre from Montreal to Laval, Quebec.
- 1994: CORCAN expands to add a fifth business line, construction.
- 1992: National warehouse and distribution centre opens in Kingston, Ontario.
- 1992: CORCAN reconfigures operations into four business lines:
- agriculture
- manufacturing
- services
- textiles
- 1992: The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat approves CORCAN as a Special Operating Agency.
- 1991: the Moncton, New Brunswick workshop becomes the first community industry.
- 1990: CORCAN begins the process of getting International Organization for Standards (ISO) certification.
Community Industries
CORCAN Community Industries helps offenders who are transitioning from an institution to regular employment in the community. It is specifically set up to provide short-term work experience in a controlled and supportive environment.
CORCAN operates six Community Industry locations in:
- Edmonton, Alberta
- Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
- Ottawa, Ontario
- Kingston, Ontario
- Laval, Quebec
- Moncton, New Brunswick
National Engineering and Technical Support Center
Laval, Quebec
The National Engineering and Technical Support Center (NETSC) plays a key role in offender employment by providing education and training to offenders who can use their new skills and expertise to support CORCAN sales representatives in meeting client design needs and requirements. This is achieved through a small team of engineers, designers, and architectural technicians, as well as offenders.
NETSC staff train offenders using the latest design software, including AutoCAD, to space plan and quote potential jobs that are forwarded to the centre by sales representatives from across Canada. Over $40 million in furniture quotes are prepared annually.
Offenders are provided the opportunity to work and learn in a creative and challenging work environment, which helps prepare them to obtain and maintain employment after their release to the community.
CORCAN National Warehouse and Distribution Centre
Kingston, Ontario
The CORCAN National Warehouse and Distribution Centre is a highly efficient warehousing operation occupying over 70,000 square feet of storage, staging, and shipping space. Co-located with the CORCAN Ontario Region Sales and Administrative offices, the facility is well-positioned to provide exceptional service through the Quick Ship Program.
The National Warehouse and Distribution Centre is also a training site. While working there, offenders perform a range of tasks, gaining skills and experience in
- shipping
- receiving
- inventory management
- stock rotation
- quality assurance, and
- client service.
Offenders participate in a number of certified training programs including health and safety (WHMIS), and lift truck operation. They also learn how to use a computerized warehouse inventory management system, which gives them the training and work experience they need to work in a warehouse with a major retailer upon their release.
With the current labour market demand for skilled material handlers, the experience gained at the CORCAN National Warehouse and Distribution Centre assists offenders with finding and maintaining employment in the community.
Reporting to Canadians
CORCAN Correctional results
CORCAN is a key rehabilitation program offered to federal offenders both in the institution and the community. As part of CSC, CORCAN’s key correctional results are included in the Correctional Service of Canada’s Departmental Results Reports which are tabled annually.
CORCAN Revolving Fund statements
CORCAN’s financial statements are posted annually by Public Services and Procurement Canada on the Public Accounts webpage.
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